Through the eyes of the Blackdragon
by Little-Firestar84
Summary: As the existence of Iron Man's sister is revealed, the mutant Chris "Blackdragon" Stark decides to join the fight for what's good for real.Spy & heroine,X-men & Avenger,science & magic:which side is she on? New Avengers vol2 now on line, R and R
1. Blackdragon: Being Christine Stark

--INTRODUCING CHRIS--

My name is Christine Stark, but for my friends I'm just Chris. Half American and half English, I'm a young engineer, a specialist in electronic and electro-mechanical. 

When I was 13, I met a certain Alec Addison; we had a long relationship, we even get married not so long after we both turned 18. Although no one believes in us, it lasted, until, one day, he died. And, something like a year and an half later, I'm still, well, alone. It was very hard at the beginning, but now, now it's a way easier, because I've got a lot of good friends, and then, there's my brother, too. My dear big brother, the famous Anthony "Tony" Stark, industrialist, rich playboy, armoured Avenger better known as Iron Man, and now, director of SHIELD, too.

We have a particular relationship, and always had. I still remember when we were kids, we had such a strong bond, I was like his shadow! Well, the truth is, I was like him, a little genius, and, having problems in hang out with the "kids" of my own age, I preferred stay with my big brother and his friends, who were a way more interesting than mines. Can you believe that I see those years as the most beautiful ones of my life? I was so happy, we both were. Still childish, I believed that this happiness was going to last forever, but, shortly after, I found out that I was wrong. After the loss of our parents, things started to change, drastically. Each day, I saw my brother became darker and darker, furtherer and furtherer. As I told before, I was still a child, and I didn't totally understand what was going on, what was happening to him, and, like most children, I started to believe it was my fault. That, until one day I saw him while he was putting his armour on… he was Iron Man, and he was keeping it secret from me. I was so angry, that I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. I became more distant, darker, and, when I found out something very important about me, I decided to keep it secret. I decided to not tell him I was a mutant… a telepath and a telekineth.

I hadn't the intention to keep it secret forever, at least from him, because, still, I continued to repeat to myself that my brother was going to return to me, damn, he had to return to me! But, again, I was wrong, because things started to go even worse; at this point we were so distant that reconciliation was almost impossible. So, I finally decided to go on with my life, leaving Tony out of it; I decided to give a real try to my relationship with Alec, I moved in with him, I married him, I even changed my surname in "Addison", and, over all, I, we left the USA for my native land, England. Yes, because, genetically speaking, I'm not a Stark (you remember that I told you I'm half American and half English, right?) my real parents, Michael and Tanya Johnson, were Howard Stark's employees, and died less than a year after my birth, in a car accident. 

Ok, well, returning to the main topic, I England, I started a new, happy, life, thanks to the help of some new friends me and Alec met along the way: while we were in Britain, we met the super-group called Excalibur. I helped them a couple of times (although the first time happened just for a case), and, in exchange, they helped me to find my real goal: I decided that I had to use my powers to help the world, to make it a better place; I decided to become a hero, a heroine called _**Blackdragon**_, as one of the figures from the Middle-aged mythology I always liked so much.

But again, when my life was starting to became a little more decent, my world turned upside down: because, in a dark day, I found out about a creature called Onslaught, and about what "it" did to my brother and many other heroes. I decided to return to the USA for a while, although Alec didn't accept my decision, creating a fracture between us,and once here, I decided to confront the one and only reason Onslaught was born in the first place, the one and only guilty for Tony, Avengers and F4's deaths… Charles Xavier. One of the most powerful mutants of the planet, he confessed me many things: that he already knew about me and my powers, that he was observing me from a while; he told me more about the X-Men than what I already knew about, he narrated me what events bring to Onslaught's birth, and, over all, about one of the other many secrets Tony had; Charles told me about a secret society, called "The Illuminati", formed by the two of them plus Namor, Doctor Strange, Reed Richards and Black Bolt. Charles told me about one of his own secrets, one no one knew about, a secret about an agency called XSE, Xavier Security Enterforces, a unit of mutant secrets agents at his service. He told me about it because he wanted to ask me to become his new agent; he told me I had some potential. I not only believed him, but I forgave him, too, and so, I accepted, I became a XSE agent, like the woman now known as Sage already was, and when, time after, the heroes come back from wherever they were, I, well, I accepted to spy on Tony, too. It was like a little revenge for his behaviour towards me during the previous years, and I know it was stupid, maybe this one of the reason I started to regret it something like a week later. But I had given my word to Charles, and so I continued, until he told me I was now needed in an other place, so I did as he ordered me, and I went away. After a while I returned, for my own reasons and for others, but I was still full of regrets, but now, I was really alone, and I decided to escape from my life, again, but during the last 9 months, too much happened, to me and Tony as well, and I had to come back, for the both of us. Tony is alone as I was, he needs someone who could help him, maybe me. And so, here we are. Sitting on a chair in his office at Stark Towers, I look outside one of the windows, wondering about what's going to happen, as I see him enter in the room, still wearing his armour. I try to read his mind, a bad habit hard to loose, but I fail; not so strange, I think that maybe he has some kind of psy-firewall or something like that. I don't know exactly why, but I can't look in his eyes. He tries to look at me, in my brown eyes, but as I did with his mind, he fails; avoiding eye-contact, we both remain in silence for a while.

"I'm… glad that you decided to return from wherever you were" false. There's no sign of happiness in his voice, I don't need my powers to see it. He tries again to look at me, in my eyes, but again I look outside that damn window, still in silence.

"Listen Chris, I know that you went through a lot, but – he pauses, putting his armoured hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him – but this isn't an excuse for what you did to me and to Reed, too. After all, he was your teacher at MIT, after you graduated you became friends, and then, look at what you did to us…"

"I don't know what you are talking about" Again, I try to avoid eye-contact with him. Liar, I'm really a bad liar. And I used to be a spy. Well, it looks like I was a bad one. 

"Chris, please, I'm not an idiot. I know who and what you are, and what you did, too. That you worked for Xavier, and, and… and I forgive you. You are my sister after all; we are a family, right?"

Part of me wants to tell him what I think about him, to remember him all the times I needed my "family" and he wasn't at my side, but I can't. he has me. Because he is giving me the one and only thing that I need, that I want, and I still could have: my old family, or at least a small piece of it, back. 

"Have you here, it's really important for me. It means a lot. And in my heart – he pauses again, lowering his eyes – I just hope that you are here because you want to support me, to stay at my side."

He can speaks about family for all the time, if he wants, but I don't know if this is still his nature – the one of a man who wants a piece of his past back, his life with his family – because what I think it's that he isn't asking me if I'll be at my brother's side, he is asking Blackdragon if she will support the SHRA or not, if she will be an obstacle or not. 

A little sad, I look in his blue eyes. I don't know if he is right or wrong about this Super-Hero Civil War, but, right now, I don't care. I know that, one day, I'll eventually have to take a real stand, choosing which side I'll be on, but this is neither the right place nor moment, because I'm having my old Tony back, doesn't matter if he is pretending or if it's not going to last, I'm content with I'm having right here and now. 

"Tony, you are my family, and whatever mistakes we did in the past, whatever will happen in the future, it's something it will remain. Whatever happens, I'm on your side". Or at least, for now.


	2. Blackdragon and Iron Man:Registered Hero

--

--REGISTERED HERO--

"Director Stark, I think we could have a problem. Or at least, you do." On a sunny Monday morning, Maria Hill, former director at interim, now Tony's deputy, enters in the war room on SHIELD helicarier, showing an evil smile of satisfaction, that suits her tall, black-haired silhouette very well, Tony has to admit, although she is probably showing him that smile for a reason, a reason that he probably will not like.

"You know, miss Hill, I don't know why, but I've the feeling that it's not that sunny day to make you smile like that."

Maria goes nearer and nearer, more and more satisfied.

"You know, Stark, one of your duties as Director of SHIELD is to monitor each situation, especially the ones about super-heroes."

"I know what my duty is, Miss Hill." He looks at her, cold, trying to understand what's going on. What he could do to have a little of telepathy, sometimes. Unfortunately, his new powers allow him only to dialog with electronic instruments… and, unfortunately, for how much cold Maria Hill could be, she isn't such.

"Well, it looks like the great Tony Stark is missing something. I counsel you to give a look at what's Channel 6 is transmitting, I think you could find it interesting."

"Parkston! – The armoured avenger orders to one of his men on deck, a little more than a teenager boy with brown hair, official for the transmissions. – show me what she is talking about." True, he doesn't need it, he could simply changes in his armour right here and now and broadcasting the transmission from Channel 6 straight in his brain, but he doesn't think it's the right place to do such a thing and, frankly, he wants that his men –and women – see him like a person, not like a sort of robot. Less than a minute after, on a screen, some images start to appear, revealing why Maria Hill is smiling so much.

"Damn" he mutters at close teeth, almost whispering, hoping she doesn't ear it. Unfortunately for him, she does.

"Do I have to check our databases to see if she is a registered hero or not?" She asks him malignantly. She doesn't like him very much, well, to be honest, she doesn't like any super-heroes in general (and neither she liked Fury, since he was all about those damn clown in costumes), but to take orders from one of them… from a rich play-boy who spent his life playing the hero because he could have and do everything he wanted, well, this just makes things worst for her. And she doesn't forget that it's her work that he is doing, the one that she wanted once and for all. And now, seeing that there's a chance to put him in his place, or, maybe better, throw him away from SHIELD, is something that makes her feel damn good. This is probably one of the best days in her entire life, or at least since she joined SHIELD years ago.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Hill – he gives a smile maybe bigger than the one she had before – but she was one of the first ones who were registered. Well, if you want you can check the databases, but I can assure you that's true. BLACKDRAGON is a registered heroine under SHIELD supervision, and she neither needs help from us or others. Believe me; she can handle this situation alone."

"Blackdragon, you said? Well, in that case, I take your word for true" As she leaves the room, her smile leaves, too, leaving an angry expression on what could be one of nicest face onboard. What Maria Hill doesn't see, too taken in her thoughts about the fact that she just lost the opportunity to dump Stark, is that he stops to smile, too, because BLACKDRAGON can be a registered hero (although it was him the one who registered her, at the time the S.H.R.A. become law, and not her, who agreed only during the war, when she decided to come back from wherever she was and took a side), but almost no one on the planet knows her little dirty secret, that she is a Stark, and a mutant, but it seems that the world is just finding it out right now… 

_(Some minutes b__efore, 5th Avenue)_

Christine Stark-Addison is quietly walking from shop to shop, with her hands (and the ones of her chauffeur/assistant, as well) full of bags and boxes. It's something she almost never does, playing the role of the little daddy's girl without brain, something that it's not exactly in her cords, but it's a lesson she learned from her brother, and her "dad" as well, years ago. Never be who and what you are, but what the others expect you to be. It's something she did for her entire life, hiding the truth behind the mask, something she did rhetorically and literally. But, at least, she has to admit that shopping is not that bad, and that she is enjoying it, maybe just a little, but it's helping her to stop to think about everything is happening and just happened. In less than two years, she witnessed the destruction of Genosha, where she lost her love Alec, friends and saw the death of million of innocent lives, she heard about the attack suffered by the Avengers, about their division, and, few months later, about the birth of a new group, the so-called "New Avengers". But that was just the beginning, because after happened something she didn't know exactly about – she just knows something happened, but she decided to not ask questions, still believing in her brother- and then there was the decimation, something attacking the heroes as it went in direction of Genosha, the war, Charles (who suddenly walked again) disappeared with a group of X-Men (including her friends Ray and Kurt) immediately after the beginning of the war and Ororo's wedding with Black Panther, Cap's death… and _Only God knows what I don't know about, what Tony or the X-Men or the government or who knows who keep secret…_

Sometimes, Chris Stark is just happy that she is a little player in the hero community, because, although she is a little player, she already has too much to think about…

"Well, well, well, see who's going out without protection… Director's little sister. Mind if I join you?"

"What the hell… - Chris lifts her hazelnut eyes in direction of the voice she just heard, as the New York autumnal wind starts to move her short brown hair and lifts her white jacket a bit.- Sigh. Sometimes I just wish I remained in England instead of coming here."

"Sorry baby, but I guess it's late for second thoughts." The figure answers her. She try to give a better look at him, to try to see if she already knows him, and, over all, what he is able to do, but she can't or even sense anyone, she can just ear him. She is just trying to focus her attention on this matter, when…

"Miss Stark, attention!" A man behind her pushes her against a wall, trying to protect her from the criminal. Seconds later, Chris understands that her chauffeur/assistant/bodyguard is asking her, asking her if she is still all right or not, worried about her situation (but, maybe, about his work position as well). _Tony knows I can protect myself, but still he wants that I pretend I'm defenceless, and so I have to go all around the word with this guy and now I probably have to save his ass…_

"I can take care of myself, Roberts, Thanks." She says as she tries again to sense someone, failing again. _Or something is wrong with my powers, or I'm dealing with a machine or with someone who can protect itself from a physic attack. And none of this is a positive option. _She hasn't stop to think about this, when something, a bar of metal, hits Roberts at his right side, throwing him on the soil, unconsciousness, like hit from an invisible force, like… _**"It's the Ghost!?**_ Chris doesn't know if sound stunned or what by this realization. Well, she knows about the Ghost, although she never met him before, but she knows about him, and it's positive. What's negative is that she never knew he had super-strength or defences against the telepathy… and leaves her with her telekinetic powers, about which he doesn't know about, if she is lucky.

"I still owe a pair to your older brother and an other pair to Iron Man, and, since it comes out that they are the same person, it seems that I'll pay my dues."

She tries to understand where he is, listening to his voice, when, suddenly, a blast of energy appears in front of her; that's the Ghost, with one of his dangerous energetic weapons.

"I didn't know this was your style. I believed that you were just a thief.. she looks at energy blast in front of her, trying to remain as cool as possible, but she ahs to admits that there's a drop of sweat on her forehead. 

"I just want to pay my dues. And then, I already tried to kill him as Iron Man and Tony Stark, and since each time I failed, I thought that could be sweeter for me and more terrible for him kill you, instead. Oh, and don't forget easier."

"Why do you think I'm easier to kill?" again, she tries to remain as cool as possible, and, speaking with the "man" to distract him, she tries to give a try to trick she learned from Cable and Betsy, just adjusting it a little for suit her better. She counts on the fact that, until he is invisible, he can't be intangible. Or at least is what she knows about him.

"What about if I kill you immediately, instead of speaking with you?" The bolts come closer and closer, and now they are an inch from her neck. He continues this torture, until they are almost touching her skin that, although she has dark eyes and hair, is paler that the one of people with her same physical characteristic.

"What…- he remains in disbelief as he sees that the lightings aren't touching her bare skin. – What are you doing? How can you do that?" as he notices it, she throws a telekinetic blade in his right arm, only to see appear in front of her a white humanoid silhouette full of circuits. 

"Kid, I don't know what you did to me, but I'm sure as hell that you'll pay for it! And then you really think that, just for the fact that now I'm visible, I'm less lethal? There are still few tricks that I know to kill you, including – he says as he goes nearer and nearer, overstepping her telekinetic force-field rending his left arm intangible – this one. And now, what are going to…" Not knowing what to do, or, worse, what he could do, she thinks that she has just an option left, and, instinctively, she throws him away with a blast of telekinetic energy, crashing him against a series of cars and trucks, leaving then him unconscious against the wall of the building in front of them. She then looks at him, falling exhausted to sit on the soil of the red sidewalk, as some hundreds persons still look at her, some of them already calling the police, scaring by the possibility to have to deal with an unregistered hero…

**"Everybody, please, be quiet. It's with one of my agents that you are dealing with. I'm taking her in my custody. **– The Avenger lands on the soil and, going near to the brown-haired girl, he whispers something to her, as he helps her to get up from her position – **are you all right?"**

"I had better times – she says as she starts to massage her forehead – I didn't think he had such… resources. He took me by surprise, with the super-strength and the psycho-wall."

**"He probably improved his suite in case he had to deal with people like you. Maybe it's finally time for us to find who there's really behind his mask, once and for all." **he says as he goes near the man, who is taking "captive" by some SHIELD agents, who looks at the girl with weapons in hands, ready to take her, too, until she takes something from her red Praga purse, a badge, revealing her status.

"What are you doing here, Tony?"

"**I come here to take him and to thank you for that little show of yours, that went live on all the main channels"**

"Sorry, next time I'll let your old enemies kill me, ok?"

"**There's a middle way between been killed and revealed the world that my sister is a mutant, and, overall, a hero."**

"I'm happy to see how worried you were about my conditions."

**"At least, with you as a hero, my enemies will no longer try to blackmail me"**

"I recommend you; continue to not be too worried about me."

**"I'm director of SHIELD now, I have certain duties. And I have certain duty as CEO of the Stark Enterprises."**

"And I have a life, Tony, a life that you put in danger when you told the world about you secret identity, again. Do you realise that I didn't have much of a choice? I had to defend myself!"

**"I believed that you agreed with me about the S.H.R.A."**

"You told the world about you, Tony, putting all the ones who know you in danger! Happy is already dead, and now that psycho attached me! What about the next time, when someone will go after someone without powers, or unable to defend itself… someone like Pepper, maybe?" 

**"Do you realize what will happen now that the world knows that you, a Stark, are a mutant?"** he changes topic, not wanted to listen to her, to what she is talking about.

"Is it really this all that matters for you?"

"**As I told you, I've certain duties as…**"

_Damn, Toni, close your damn mouth or whatever part of your armour is talking in your place__, you are already answering to my question!_ – She tells telepathically – _if it's only this what really matters, than it's simple, before tomorrow all the newspapers and TVS will find out that I'm not your sister, happy?_

"**We'll speak about it later, Chris**. – he tells her as his armour reports a signal, a presence, from the perimeter of the former Avenger Mansion –** I have other things to do**." 


	3. Civil War:The Death of Captain America 1

--THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (PART 1 OF 2): RISE OF THE DEAD--

"_**You are doing a huge mistake"**_Clint Barton, former Avenger member, previously known as Hawkeye, is back from the death, and, dressed like Captain America, just make the new Hawkeye and Patriot, Yong Avengers members, escape from Director Stark. Chris, hidden on the fire-escape of one of the not so near buildings, gives a quick look at the scene, helped by some technological devices, and, with a mean smile, listens to what they are talking about, a very interesting conversation.

"Fry? – she touches a button on the black leather cuff she is wearing on her right wrist, and an holographic image of a light blue being, similar to a cartoon teenager, appears in front of her from the same cuff – are you sure your sensors are avoiding him to survey me?"

"Suure bossy boss! He can't see you neither with the armour or his senses, at least if you continue to use the 27 necessary orders that provide you to remain invisible, sort of. What do you think, that I'm a stupid?"

"What about your scans? Did they see if the E.M.P. arrow did same damages at his heart or to his nervous system? We already don't know what the Extremis really did to him, neither what its effects will be in the next future. And with his full body working now as a computer, only God knows what damage an E.M.P. generator could do."

"Preliminary scans indicate that he is still working at his 90, at least."

"What about the other one? Is he really who he tells he is?"

"According to SHIELD files, he really is Clint Barton, previously known as Hawkeye and Goliath. Director Stark found him at Avengers Mansion three days ago, and he took him to SHIELD helicarrier, where Doctor Coleite examined him. It seemed that Director tried to convince him to try for the position of the next Captain America"

"I can see It by myself, thanks, I'm not blind, yet" she closes contact with the entity she called "Fry", and comes back to focus her attention on what's going on between her brother and the former Hawkeye. _At least now I know why three days ago he abandoned me on the 5__th__ avenue… Being something concerning the Avengers, I'm not that mad at him, not anymore. But this not means that I'm not mad for the way he treated me. _

"_Won't be the first time tonight"_

"_**Clint….**_Her brother touches the soil, and, going nearer to Clint, he takes his helmet off. 

"_You nearly had me, Tony. You are a charming s.o.b., I'll give you that. You can take emotion and make it almost sound like logic. Just like you got everyone to support this idiotic registration."_

"_You are mistaken"_

"_C'mon, you think that because I was dead I haven't read a newspaper?"_ If there's someone on Earth that could make fun of death, it's Clint Barton. 

"_This country needs a Captain America. Especially now. Can't you see how it would be for people, knowing that Captain America will live on?"_

"_People, or you, Tony? - _The blue-eyed man takes the mask off, showing his familiar face, as his blonde hair becomes socked by the strong rain.- _you don't know how to handle it, do you? The grief. The pain. The loss… so you reached for the thing you know best, you tried to make a deal, tried to strike a bargain that would make it all go away, and you can't. and neither should anybody else, including… especially me. – _he says as he gives the real shield back to Tony, who stops to look at him, pointing his eyes on the soil, speechless – _when I'm get to wherever it is I'm going, I'll mail you back the flag."_

He takes the shield, and puts his helmet back on, still looking at soil, without looking at the man who is now going for his own road. With his metallic voice, he just adds his now usual "statement", something in the last few months he told a lot, to a lot of people.

"_**If you'll return to them… to Luke and Peter and the rest, I'll come after you. Clint, please!"**_But the young, blonde man is already gone, disappeared in the rain. Few minutes later, Tony finally stops to look at the shield of his dead friend and enemy, and flies in direction of the helicarrier, situated in an unknown position.

"You looks good for a dead, Mr. Barton." A few blocks from where he left Tony, Clint hears a feminine voice, and turns his head to see who's talking at his shoulders. "Who the hell…- he starts to ask, when he sees a figure sitting on the fire-escape of the building, a figure that, notwithstanding the rain, it's still dry. – I think I'll take this as a compliment. By the way, I saw you screwing your life on TV the other day, telling the world you are a mutant and work for SHIELD." 

"Ehy, didn't you see the tabloid say I'm not a Stark, but just a poor little girl taken from the streets by Howard and Maria Stark's generosity?"

"Strange, it seems to me to remember you told me your father was one of Howard's employees. Let me guess, one of your brother's dirty little games? Speaking of which… I'm not going to listen to you."

"You can not believe me, but I wasn't here for you. I was… monitoring Tony, when you appeared in my way."

"You must stop to worry about him, he didn't deserve that, after all he did…"

"After what, Clint? After all he did to me… or after all he did to the Avengers, to Captain America, after all he did in the name of the registration?" She leaves the place where she is, and goes near the blonde man, with a mix of anger and sadness in her voice, and with him she starts to walk along the small, dark alleys.

"Mind if I ask you to use one of your tricks? I think that I'm attracting too much attention with the flag."

"If you want, I can create an illusion using my telekinesis, but it will last just until I'm near you."

"It's better than nothing. – As he says that, she puts one of her hands on one of his shoulders, and, few instants later, it's like the costume is vanished, to leave place to normal clothes: a white, blue striped shirt, a green jacket with a hood, jeans and tennis shoes. – thanks. But again, what are doing here? And don't tell me you are monitoring Tony, because he is already gone."

"I was just thinking about the old times."

_Flasback:Some years before, New York._

"Until you are here, I want you to be safe, that's all"

"And you want me to stay away from you, too, I understand that." Tony Stark is sitting in his office, in one of his buildings, trying to come at terms with his "sister", the more or less teenager Christine. He, an already businessman, can't believe that the girl he grew up with, can be so damn stubborn. Christine is already 18, but sometimes she can really be a pain the ass: she never wants to listen to him, and she never accepts his counsels. Hell, she decided to get engaged with her long time boyfriend and move in with him – in an other country! – without listen to what he tries to tell her! And truth is, she continues to tell him he never wants to enter in her life, and now that he asks her to come to visit him in New York before to take a drastic decision, what does she do? Logically, she pushes him away, and get angry with him just because he can't speak with her right now and ask her to walk around with a bodyguard, and not alone as she wanted.

"I don't want you to stay away from me, Chris, damn, I was the one who invited you! It's just that, right now, I don't have the time."

"I don't want a bodyguard" she firmly tells him, crossing her arms, giving him the back.

"Sigh… Chris, please, I promise you, you'll neither notice him. – he starts to massage his forehead, since she is giving his headache an headache, and then pushes a button on the silver-coloured telephone on his glass desk – Pepper, can you please let Mr. Barton in? "

As he does that, a blonde man, probably a bit younger than him, dressed in a casual way, enters in the office from the dark ebony doors, and goes near them, as she starts to look down on him, not because she thinks of his as an inferior, but just because she is trying to figure out what a person like him has to do with Tony: he can be everything but one of his "associates", as Tony tried previously to convince her.

"Clint, this is my sister, Christine."

"I'm your Adopted sister, if you want to be more precise." she points out.

"Yes, adoptive sister. Christine, this is Clint Barton, he will pass the day with you, until you are out."

"At least, this time you chose someone who doesn't look like just exited from a spy b-movie or from the CIA" she then gives an other quick look at him, and goes out from the room, without giving a second look at him or Tony. 

"Clint, you are doing me a great favour. Thank you very much, and – he pauses, as the other Avenger is going to follow the "younger Stark" outside – good luck. Chris can be very stubborn, and she always wants to do everything on her own, she doesn't like when she needs other people's help, or, worse, when other people want to interfere in her life, as I'm trying to do."

"What do you want her to do? From what you told me when you asked me to watch over her, I believed that she always did what you and your family believed was the best for her."

"Well, it's a couple of years that she decided to stop to listen to me, and now she decided that she wants to get married, and I just want to avoid her to do the probably greatest mistake of her life. She is just… she is too young, and he isn't the right guy for her."

"You want to convince her to leave him?"

"No, I just want ask her to take things slow, this is the reason I asked her to visit me."

"Tony, I'm not going to talk with her about this, understood? It's not my affair, and I don't like to interfere with other people's life." Telling him these things, he leaves, too, and follows the girl, who is already in the hall waiting for her "bodyguard"; when he reaches her, she exits from the building, without telling a single word. As he walks near her along the street, he notices that he didn't need her to tell him she wasn't genetically Tony's sister, it was quite clear, her physical features and his one were totally different: while he has blue eyes and black hair and a certain type of physique, she has an other one, and her eyes and hair are both brown; but psychologically, that's an other story. He just gave a look at her, and he believes that her mind and Tony's one are more similar than she wants to admit. And don't speak about hew way to dress: Tony spends his day in shirt, jacket and tie, and she is dressing very formal, her too: a pearl-grey shirt, with a black, ivory stripped adherent waistcoat with matching pants, black shoes, some simple jewels and professionally curly hairs.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm going to do what Tony wants: I'm going to leave him alone."

"Strange, I believed he was the one who asked you to come here."

"Have you ever heard about second purposes?"

"You don't look like someone who knows him very well"

"Or, maybe, it's you who doesn't know him very well. By the way, the fact that I have to stay with you doesn't mean that I've to speak with you."

"Well, one thing is sure, Tony knows you. He told me you can be damn stubborn, and he was right. You know what? If don0t want to speak with me, fine, but don't believe I'll let you stay. Tony asked me to spend the day with you and that's what I'm going to do."

Chris makes a little smile, not letting Clint see it: maybe, this time Tony didn't choose someone so pathetic, after all. For the rest of the day, Chris and Clint spend the day walking along the streets, or taking some coffees, they even have lunch together, but she still tries her best to avoid conversation, especially when it's something concerning her "brother" or her family. It's almost six o'clock when they are walking along the 21st, looking at some shop-windows, enlightened by the gentle light of some lampposts, as something happens, as fast as the light itself. In few seconds, they see a couple of criminals exit from a bank, guns in hands, and ready to use them. As they try to escape, a couple of policemen try to stop them, but unsuccessfully: one of the robbers takes a kid of almost two from his mother's arm, and points the gun at his head. 

"Leave us free or the kid is dead!" he shouts at the presents, as almost everyone run in all the possible directions, screaming, terrorized. 

"Ok girl, let's find a safe place for you, or, if something bad ever happened to you, your big bro' will kill me with his own hands!"

Clint puts his hands on her shoulder, trying to force her to move, to leave, to get somewhere safer, but she only stays, with a cold expression in her dark eyes, an expression cold, sure, but he can sees something else, something more… she is resolute, like she is ready to do something important… for a second or two, he even thinks that she is a sort of trance, even doesn't listening to what he is telling her, but her eyes… _what the hell does she has in her damn mind_? He wants to know, sure, but, over all, he wants hell out of what will be in a while a war zone. Tony puts her in his hands; he doesn't want to fail him, and himself. He doesn't want to see a "little" girl like her get hurt for one of his mistakes. 

"Girl? Girl, are you listenin' to me? You have to leave, now let's move."

"He is scared. It doesn't care what will happen… someone will get hurt."

"You are probably right, but I can't allow you to put your life in danger. There is the police, and maybe some hero will…"

"And maybe they will be late."

"You are not going to do anything; I don't allow you to..

"Sorry? You don't allow me? Where or when do you come from? I'm legal, I can take my own decisions, and it's not like I can't take care of myself."

Few moments later, one of the criminals starts to fire on the crowd around, in direction of the policemen, but, suddenly, something happens: the bullets stay still, in the air, in front of the cars of the department, and, suddenly as they have been motionless, they fall on the ground without apparent reason and force. It's unclear who more astonished, if the policemen are or the criminals themselves, who, taken by a sudden terror, hold the kid with more strength, making him cry, a cry of fear and desperation that only makes them more frustrated. But, suddenly as before, they leave the kid and decide to give up, crying and repented. 

As the Force takes them in custody, Clint look astonished at the scene, happy to see how everything was ending well, and without any hero's intervention. "Hey, girl do you see that? They didn't… - he starts to tell her turning in her direction, only to see her became paler and paler, and loose consciousness right before his eyes, taking her in his arms just a second before she touches the ground – What… Christine, how are you? Are you all right?"

She tries to wake up, helped by the blonde man, and she starts to massage her temples, still a little confused, hurt, and not able at all to elaborate all the informations her brain-cells are sending her in the right way.

"Yes, I'm… - she almost falls again, but again he helps her – I think this show was more than what I could handle, you were right. Maybe I just need to drink something."

Half an hour alter, they are sitting in a café, in a small table away from the view of the other costumers, in a place where Clint often goes, a place where he knows the people and the people knows him, a small, simply café, with handy people that reminds him of his youth, when everything was a way simpler. She is drinking a mug of boiled green tea, while is looking at her, sitting in front of the brow-head girl, with crossed arms, both in silence from the moment they put feet in that place. But, at a certain moment, Clint, looking directly in her eyes, breaks the silence.

"How long do you know?" she looks at him in silence, stopping to drink, putting the mug on the table, trying to think about an answer, but for some reasons, she doesn't. She decides not to lie.

"From when I was a teen." She answers without look in his eyes, avoiding eye-contact, a little sad, and, over all, worried. That's her secret, and she doesn't want to see it spilled on the front-pages.

"And does Tony know that you….

"No"

"And why don't you tell him? he cares about you, you are is sister in all but blood, he'll understand." 

"It's my only my choice, decide to tell him or not. And I decided to take it for me."

"You could do a lot of good, with your… abilities."

"Again, it's only up to me to decide."

"You know, I think I understand what's going on in that little evil brain of yours, you know? You want to punish him for something, something you found out when you were a teen… what happened to you, Christine? Tony told me a lot of good thing about you, and from what I saw, you really are a good person…"

"I just found out that no one is who and what it claims to be, neither the ones around me."

"So, you know the truth about Tony and his armoured bodyguard… does he knows that you know?"

"No, and it's not necessary. – she pauses, taking a sip of the cold beverage – you are one of them, aren't you?"

"Since I know your secrets, I think I could tell you mine. Yes, I am. I am Clint Francis Barton, better known by the world by the name Hawkeye."

"Well, if you put it that way… I'm Chris Stark, a mutant with psyonic powers." 

_(end flashback) _

"I'm a little mad with you, you know? I mean, you are again alive from how long? And you didn't tell me you were all right! I mean I thought we were supposed to be friends…"

"After I come back to life, with all the Avengers Disassembled and the House of M crap, I believed it was better stay outside the lights for a while."

"What are you talking about?- she asks him as she stops to walk.- the fracture among the Avengers ranks was cause by a conspiracy from the Kree and a series of coincidences. And what's this House of M you are talking about?"

"Is this what your beloved brother told you? He told you about An alien conspiracy and coincidences? And you even don't know about the House of M… poor little girl, and you believed Tony is honest with you."

"Clint, what happened?"

He caresses her cheek, sad for how life is going on.

"I think I'll give Tony the opportunity to tell you the truth, all the truth. Considering who he is, maybe it's better if you ask his help, first."

"I'm not stupid, I know what you mean. You want me to ask him the truth, and when he'll not tell me – because he will not tell me – you hope that I'll change side."

"Not change side, at least not now. I want just you to open your eyes. He is not going to change, it will never happen. Things will just get worse."

"So, if you don't want a mole inside the registration front, what do you want from me?"

"I just need to know where Strange is. I owe him some answers."

"Well, during the war Stephen was outside the States, it seems he was in his mystic lounge in Antarctica, but I don't know if it's true."

"And what about now?"

"Words are, he is still in his old palace. He is mystically hiding his and the others presence with his magic, and the whole place seems abandoned, but, from what the SHIELD believed, he is still there, but they can't prove it, neither with magic."

"Strange is too powerful for even the SHIELD?"

"Are you going to be a "secret avenger" you too?"

"I'm getting to wherever it is I'm going" he simply answers, and, smiling at her, he disappears in the dark.


	4. Civil War:The Death of Captain America 2

--The death of Captain America (2/2): through the eyes of (an) Iron Man-- 

A black QueenJet lands on the icy soil of a well known place, a place of which many people have already heard about, a place where a hero found "life" again; two men and a woman, all in costumes, exit from it, and with them a shiny, metallic coffin, with Cap's symbol on the top of it. The armoured Avenger leaves first, at his back, Jan and Hank… the Wasp and Yellowjacket. Chris is with them, in her astral form, hidden by her psyonic powers. She feels a little "out of place", since it's not for Cap that she is here (since she never met him in person), but because of her brother. She remembers how he was and felt at the "funeral", for a moment she was worried he was drunk again. Hell, if he didn't get drunk during the war, he'll never get drunk again in his entire life, or so he hopes. But it's not the point. The point is, and she knows it to well, that he is too under pressure. With Cap alive was a thing, but with him dead… she knows what he is doing. He is pretending. He is pretending to be strong, to not care, at least not so much, but knowing how he acted with Clint, and what he confessed at his body… it happened few days before, and, officially, she doesn't have a way to know it. officiously, she have implanted a hidden file-safe program in the last version of his armour, to better control how the Extremis influences his nervous and biological systems. A techno-organic virus in her brother's body – a not well known one – it's not something she likes, for what they knew, he could die in few days, getting mad or only God knows what. So, she is secretly monitoring him, hoping he doesn't find out, 'cause knowing Tony, his reaction could not be too kind. 

_I knew that meant you and I would probably never speak again, or be friends again. Or partners again. I told myself I was okay with it because I knew I was right and I… I knew it was saving lives. It was… it was the right thing to do! And… and… and I was willing to get in bed with people we despise to get this done. And I knew the world favors the underdog and that I would be the bad guy. I knew it, and I said I was okay with it. And even thought I said I was willing to go all the way with it, I wasn't. And I know this because the worst has happened. The thing I can't live with, has happened. And for all our back and forth, and all the things we've said and done to each other, for all the hard questions I've had to ask, and terrible lies I've had to tell… there's one thing that I'll never be able to tell anyone now. Not my Friends. Or my co-workers, or my president… not even to Chris, my own sister. One thing, the one thing, the one thing I should have told you, but now I can't. It wasn't worth it. _

He was crying. She doesn't remember to have seen him that way before. He wasn't only crying, he was like devastated; just now Chris understands that she may be his sister by name, but Steve was his brother in spirit. But she understands something more now,that not only he wants and needs to see Steve's legacy go on, but he needs to go on with his performance as well. He wants the shra, now he has to live with it, in the good and the bad. _I don't know if I can do it without you. I certainly won't do it without you as well.._

This is what he is saying in fro not his two teammates. She knows he can't tell everything he wants, because she knows how he feels… he is unsure. Unsure about his role as Director of Shield, 'cause he is sure as hell that "Fury's boys", as he calls them, hate him and "just want their daddy back". Unsure of his entire role in the whole registration. He doesn't know what to do, and he can't ask help, to anybody, neither at her. When Prince NAmor of Atlantis emerges from the water where Steve is going to find his final rest, Chris closes her eyes, and, in a blink, her astral form leaves, to going back in her body, at her "temporary place" at Avengers Tower. A place she doesn't call home. She can't, and won't. it's just a place to live in, until she doesn't find something better. Something not easy, since, now that the world knows she is a Stark and a hero, no one wants her as neighbour. She goes on the balcony, and, at semi-closed eyes, starts to look at the night, at the dark. She doesn't know what to think, what to say, or even what to do. There was a time when she felt safe around her brother, but now? Now, she doesn't feel safe, it's more like she feels that he feels safe around her, that he needs an anchor, and that anchor it's, right now, her, but, as he can't be honest with her, she can't be honest with him. How can she tell him that she is having second thoughts about the registration? How can she tell him that she no more wants to be a registered hero, but she wants to work solo, on her own? It's like a betrayal, like betray him and what he made people think it was right. 

"hey" a metallic voice comes from the void in front of her balcony. 

When she opens her eyes, she sees Tony in front of her, and only now she realises that had been hours since she went outside to try to think better. She makes her best to not show him how she feels, and, with an half smile, comes back inside, follow by her brother, who, once inside, removes the helmet, something he does to make her feel more comfortable, and to give her the impression that it's not with Iron Man she is speaking with, but her brother, the one who saw her when she was only a couple of days old, when she wasn't already his sister, the one he took by hands when she felt alone 'cause her "real" parents were dead, the one he taught everything he knew about machines; and he knew he was wrong in stopping to stay at her side when she needed him the most, in the worst, like When their parents died, or when Alec did, and in the good, like when she graduated, when she get married, and whatever else happened to her. 

"I was wrong- she turns herself to look at him, as he enters in the kitchen where she is filling two glass of water. She doesn't know what to say, she neither knows what he is talking about… he was wring about what, exactly? – During all these years, I failed you so may times, that you are probably doing the greatest mistake of your life, staying here at my side babysitting me. I failed you. And I failed Steve. And all this country, 'cause I told them to believe in me but I'm the first to not believe in me."

"You know Tony, you are scaring me. You've never been so honest, what happened? You are not drunk, are you?"

"I'm soberer than ever, I just wanted… I needed to tell someone how I felt. And I felt you were the one I needed to speak with. I wasn't able to tell Steve how I felt, why I did what I did, and how I regret it. and I'll never do it, now. I don't want to have other regrets, I failed him, I thought I could live with it, but I can't. and I won't this to happen with you, too. I lost everything. My friends. My teammates. Everything I believed in. you are everything it remains. I can't loose you, too. Not now, not again. I need someone to help me to go through this… and I want to be at your side when you'll need me the most."

"Tony, I knew you need me, and I don't want to be rude, but, do you really think that you can erase something like 10 years this way? you can't just push the delete key."

"Are you telling me you are not going to stand by me?" He isn't giving her orders or what, his voice is sad, she can really telling from his voice that he needs her help.

"No, just that you'll have to wait a bit, before things came back to how they used to be. I just want you to remember that, whatever happens, I'm not at Iron Man's or Tony Stark's side, but at my brother's one, but I need you to be honest with me. No more secrets, no more lies, you'll be honest with me and I'll do the same with you. So tell me what happened, tell me the truth about the destruction of the Avengers and the House of M."


	5. WWH Prologue: Tell Me The Truth

--

--THE TRUTH--

"_So tell me what happened, tell me the truth about the destruction of the Avengers and the House of M."_Tony reverses his armour to "civil mode", thanks to the extremis and some unstable molecules, and, a little in shock, sits on one of the light wooden chairs at her kitchen table; a little in shock at the beginning, few seconds later he takes in head in his hands, worried. Behinds the fingers, he looks at the empty glass of water in front of him; water it's not exactly what he needs right now, right here right now he could gave whatever he has for a glass of, he doesn't know, wine, beer, whisky, vodka, everything could be better than have this conversation with her, even get drunk… 'cause have this conversation with her will bring to have other conversations, about, he doesn't know, maybe about how she knows about everything? And about exactly how much she knows? 

"Chris, I don't think…" he doesn't even raise his head from the table, he doesn't look at her in the eyes, he doesn't want to. How can he explain her everything? How can he tell her the truth? He is gone too far with his secrets and lies; he is gone too far with his actions. If he tells her what he did, she'll probably …_probably? If I tell her all the truth, she'll give me her back and come back to wherever she was… if I fail her again, she'll never forgive me… _he thinks, as he continues to look at that damn glass, like hoping to fill only with the thought.

"Tony, be honest with me and I'll be honest with you. I already told you. I don't care what you did, 'cause whatever it was, you did it with the best intentions. Even when you push me away, it was only to protect me." She seats on the chair in front of him, dressed with a pair of shabby jeans and a purple t-shirt, as many other girls of her own age, something she didn't like to do when she was younger, when she was more like him. How she changed during the last years is something that amazes him, he didn't believe that the marriage suited her so well, but it did, and now that she is alone, he suffers for her a lot. He knows not only that she was a way happier with Alec, but that her life was a way easier, too. It's one of the greatest regrets of his life, know that it's him the one who makes her life more complicated, in the 99 of the cases. And see her behaviour towards him doesn't help, 'cause Chris is doing her best to stay close to him, and he doesn't know if he is worth it…

"It's really a long story… and I don't know if you really want me to tell you the entire truth…" 

"Stop to beat around the bush, Tony, and don't find stupid excuses. I want to know the truth. I need it. It's the only way to know if I can still trust you."

"I've just two questions for you. You are… were… a spy, trained by Xavier. You spied on my before, why not now? It's not like you can't find the answers you're looking for by yourself."

"It's how I'm earning your trust. I give you a possibility…and to me as well. No more spying between us.-She tries her best to seem sincere, 'cause she isn't. She can't tell him she is spying on him right now, too, for his own good, 'cause she is worried about him. - This was one question. What about the second one?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I need… want to know how you found out…"

"I didn't read your or other minds, if it's what you are asking me. The fact is… few days ago Clint approached me, we spoke for a while and he told something about the "Avengers disassembled and the House of M crap", and when I asked him what he was speaking about, he told me to ask you. So, here we are." 

"I didn't know that you and Clint were _still_ in touch, hell, I didn't know that you two _were_ in touch at all." he stops to think about what to say her, and makes a little smile, he doesn't know why, but thinking about her and Clint makes him smile. Probably because he can't imagine how two persons so different can be friends, but suddenly he remembers that Chris never made friends easily with people of her own age, and that she always preferred to try to be "in touch" with _his_ friends. This one is another of his regrets, he knows too well that he influenced her life, all her life, she can deny it, but it's the truth; all her actions have been influenced by him, in the good and in the worst; whatever she did, whatever she still does, she did and does it for him; she followed his carrier because she wanted to be in touch with him, and she married Alec just because he didn't want it. He knows it can be a little egocentric for him to think this way, but he knows his little sister too well, and he is sure it's the truth. It's the reason he hopes that she will forgive him for everything he did in the years. 

"Don't. Beat. Around. The. Bush." She looks directly in his eyes, no more wanting to avoid eye-contact with him. She is cold and serious; he understands that she is loosing her patience with him. 

"It was Wanda… the Scarlet Witch… to do it." He finally confesses her, at low voice, sad, and Chris sees that he is going to cry, like at Steve's funeral. Crying is something that her older brother doesn't like to do, something that he does only if necessary, only for very important things, and, as she tries to understand what exactly he means with this statement, she takes his hands in her ones, and, although she doesn't know what happened yet, she feels the impulse to cry with him, to stay closer to him. Tony squeezes her hands, and, without waiting her to speak again, he takes the word again. 

"We didn't know exactly how, when and why it happened. We just know that Wanda… the Scarlet Witch… lost control over her reality-warping ability. She lost control with the _real_ reality, she started to see her friends as enemies, as someone who didn't want to see her happy. She started to manipulate us, to make us fight against each other. And she… she killed several members of the group, using her power… she made the Jack of Hearths come back to life just to explode in front of Scott Lang, activated an Ultron Subroutine inside Vision, made She-Hull an Hulk-like creature again, created a Kree Invasion in which Clint died… and this is just what we know about. Strange was able to stop her, and then magneto showed up, and took her with him to Genosha. And then…" he stops, not able to go on.

"So this is the reason behind the "Avengers disassembled", as Clint called it. But what's the House of M?" 

Tony closes his eyes, and looks in an other direction. "Read my mind".

"Tony, I don't think…" he stops her, leaving his seat, shouting right in her face, on the verge of crying… for desperation, sadness, even Chris doesn't know exactly. "Read. My. Damn. Mind! – he returns to seat, again without looking at her. He doesn't know what to say, what he just did was something he didn't have the intention to do. – I'm… It's something I don't want to speak about. Please – he asks her looking in her dark eyes – please read my mind… and then we'll speak."

Chris closes her yes, squeezing his hands to have a better contact, and focus her attention for scanning his mind in search of something, everything, anything, connected to the House of M… in a certain way, she is like Google, and Tony is the web. After few, unstoppable instants, she starts to see images, thoughts, visions…not only about the House of M, 'cause Tony is showing her something more… he is showing her all that led to that particular moment.

_She sees Charles, still on the chair, in front of a group of Avengers, old and new ones as well, and a group of X-men, at Stark Towers. "We need to decide the fate of Wanda Maximoff." She sees Emma Frost suggests killing her… and they vote about Wanda's fate. Then, they travel to Genosha, Charles disappears, and then, a white light, and the entire create suddenly changes. The world belongs to mutants, few humans maintain some rights and "fortune"; Tony (who's Iron Man, a champion in a sort of robot war sport, in which robot -armoured people fights against each other) and their parents…his parents… are among them, but she isn't in their lives. She sees a girl, who awakes him, forcing him to remember how it was meant to be; she sees a group of "renegade heroes", lead by Cyclops, who travels to Genosha to stop Wanda and her father, ready to do anything, even kill, to restore the world how it used to be; she sees the fight, the realisation that there isn't Erik behind her, but her brother, Quicksilver, who just wants to save her, and she sees Wanda, on the naked soil of the mutant capital city, near the body of her beloved sibling, almost killed by Magneto himself, she sees the heroes, that don't know what to do, and she finally sees her, that she yells at her father, and crying she whispers some words…"Daddy… no more mutants"… and in a blink, again the world turns white, and then, everything comes back to how it used to be, how it never happened; she sees how not all the heroes remember what happened, how they doesn't know what to do, how Strange feels like, and then she listens to the alarm at Avengers mansion, when they find Clint's costume and an article about his death, sign that he is no more among the dead ones. _

"So… what do you think?" he asks her, as she lets him go and opens her eyes again, showing a vein of sadness, something he is not sure about. Why is she sad? Is it because she is, he doesn't know, maybe scarred from what she saw, or because she saw she wasn't in his life, or because she saw a perfect world for her own people, or maybe… _she can't remember her life during the House of M, can she? Is it possible that the mental contact with me awakened some of her memories? After all, she wasn't with us during the last fight; she wasn't among the few that Strange protected. I can't remember what happened in that world, me too, what I know about it's what the others told me. _

It's not about her possible life in that world that she is thinking about, although she has to admit that she is curios, she could want to know, maybe one day, what was like, and why she wasn't in Tony's life, but right now, her thoughts concern something different. Because she just understands why the Avengers all wanted to keep all what happened secret. Wanda had been a hero, but, over all, she remains a mutant, a mutant who killed few of Earth's mightiest heroes, who is – or was? It seems that no one is sure if she has still powers or not – able to shape-shift reality as she desires, a mutant who cancelled the X-gene from 90 of the word wide mutant population. Chris understands that it's not to keep Wanda safe that it had been kept secret, but to keep the mutants, as well the ex ones, safe. How could the non-mutant population… the baselines… react knowing what happened? What could they do to who did it, although they weren't directly guilty? She saw Emma told it, she too, at that reunion… _If word got out that the witch was responsible for what happened to the Avengers, that A MUTANT killed the beloved heroes of this city, if the world found out that an out-of-control mutant with reality-altering powers was out there somewhere with a screw loose, it would set mutant/human relations back to the stone age… _those were the words spoken by the algid White Queen, but Chris knows that there is more than just a problem of public relations, there's a problem of survival. She is going to tell him something, hell, she is still thinking about the whole House of M, when something, or better, someone, interrupts their "reunion".

"**I'm sorry to interrupt your sweet and nice family reunion, Director Stark, but **– Deputy Director Hill's image appears in front of them, through a comm.-link, as clear as she is in front of them. Chris can't read her mind, she doesn't need to, to see that she doesn't like her brother, and over all, taking orders from him; not a surprise, since she already has been Fury's second, and Director at interim, and she expected to be assigned to that role permanently -** we've got a situation. The signal is broadcasting through a satellite, worldwide. I think you need and want to see it. I counsel you to go to the nearest window to see with your own eyes what's happening.- **Both Tony and Chris do as she told them, and what they see… let's just say that they don't like it, especially Tony. The Hulk, or better, an holographic image of him, as giant as the highest buildings of the entire city, is speaking, dressed as one of the gladiators of the ancient Rome.**- he is on a ship that hit he moon, and now he is over your faces."**

_**Puny Humans, I've come to smash, and you should know who's to blame. You call them heroes. I call them monsters. Listen to what they told me before they tried to kill me…**_

Suddenly, all the monitors in the world show an image of the group that Chris know were the Illuminati, minus Xavier and Namor, in what seems a base; Reed, in front of the others, is the one speaking. _I've always thought of us as friends, Bruce. So I'm genuinely sorry, but for your own sake and ours we're sending you away, it's the only way we can be sure…_ and then, the tape stops, and the Hulk takes again the word in front of his world wide audience.

**IronMan, Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, they shot me into space. Sent me to a planet called Sakaar, where I could be cut, even killed, where the emperor made me a gladiator. They sent me to die! But I survived… with my warbound. Korg. Miek. Elloe. Brood. Hiroim. We made a world. I was the Green King. And Careira the Oldstrong was my queen. But your "heroes" sent a bomb. Killed a million people. Now New York will fall. You have 24 hours to evacuate. When I return, I want to see Mr. Fantastic, IronMan and Doctor Strange, and if they are not here… I'll do this **– he shows Black Bolt's unconscious body, that seems it had been used as a boxing bag; he lifts it from the soil where he was, without respect or regret –** to your whole stinking planet."**

"Tony, tell me you… - but she is cuts off by him, who immediately puts his armour on back again – Don't you dare to run away from me this way! You have to tell me…"

"**I'm sorry Chris **– he tells her as he is already flying outside the window – **but I created this problem, and it's up to me to solve it****."**

"Tony, if you don't explain me what happened, I don't think I'll be able to face you again." But Tony is already gone, flying in the sky over Manhattan, he can no more listen to what she is telling him. He can't see the doubt in her eyes, he can't reassure her, as there's only one thing going on in her mind… _I'm so sorry Tony, but I'm starting to think that Clint was right about you…_


	6. WWH: War!

--WAR! --

Chris is among the other "heroes", the real ones, this night. She is doing her best to help the people evacuate, calming them with her telepathic powers. Not what she wanted to do, 'cause she'd rather prefer to be among the SHIELD telepaths; being among the heroes, the real ones, make her feel a little… uncomfortable. It's a long time since the last occasion she wore her costume and was Blackdragon… maybe years. Still, she is here, wearing that costume (a white Victorian blouse with a black leather corset, a dark blue pants and black boots)1, that adamantium mask that hides all her face2, and that name…

"_Gets your damn hands out of me, you fascist! You can't make me go! The same folks who want to lock the heroes up, shot the Hulk into space and now are trying to steal our homes! You know what I told you, people? We're not going!"_ a black man in his thirties, with a mace in his hands, is followed by many people; they are very hungry, but, over all, they are frightened, by many things, and what they are going to do for fear is hurt people, innocent people. 

"Look, pal, you are mixing things up pretty good there, listen…" Spider-Man tries to calm them down with words, but it seems it isn't working, 'cause now they are near a group of SHIELD agents, something that it isn't good for nether of them.

"Please, people, be quiet, we are here just to help you. Let us help you." The girl goes near them, putting her mask off, and looking them in the eyes, speaking verbally and mentally to them; few instant later, they surrender, and go away with the agents. 

"telepathic trick?" Spider-Man asks her, turning his head in her direction, while she is already putting her mask on again.

"Yes" she answers, without look in his direction, but at the folks who is moving.

"By the way, who are you?"

"Blackdragon" she simply answers, as she is going to leave for an other position.

"Well, that explains a lot. Who are you? You are one of the Initiative's recruits, aren't you? "

"…she is going to answer, to tell him something, like "no", or "I was an X-men, ask Logan", but she is cuts off by Cage, who goes near them and starts to look with anger at her. "She is Stark's sister, Peter. Stay away from her."

"I'm here for the same reason you are here, Mr. Cage, to help people. I'm not going to fight with you… at least today. Today we have a common enemy."

"As you like" it's the only answer that he gives her, leaving.

Sometimes, she is relived, because she is seeing what a common danger can do. A common danger can show the real nature of the people around you. Tony is doing, and did, what he did, but seeing how the heroes, all the heroes, registered and not, are working together, makes her do a breath of happiness, 'cause she is finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, a hope for a better tomorrow.

"_Numero uno's on the way. Ladies and gentleman, behold the blonde bombshell, the golden guardian, the…._ The black costumed spider-man can't finish his sentence. Clearly, the "war-machine" Iron man wasn't the one he was expecting to see. Everybody knows who he was waiting for, the greatest hero of the world, the Sentry. Everybody and Chris, who knows him maybe not in person (although he is among her brother's friends), but by name and reputation… and over all, she knows what he is capable of, and over all… what he has inside him. Probably he is the only one who can save them, but it's not the point. The point is that he is a sick man, who can lose control of himself from a moment to an other, destroying the entire planet. She doesn't like him, but that's not what matters. What matters now is the safety of the city, and of the world. 

Suddenly, Blackdragon sees that something bothers Spider-man. She doesn't need a genius to understand that his spider-sense is making his work, and when they look up in the sky, what they see it's the Hulk spaceship, with him, madder than ever, on the top of it. Chris looks at her brother who, ready to look for a fight, gives them the last orders. 

**She-Hulk, Samson, Cage, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel, Blackdragon. I need you to keep everybody clear of the combat zone. This is my fight. –**he doesn't try to stop his little sister to stay there. He knows her too well. Doesn't matter what, but she has to do something, she has to help people. That's her place. And he doesn't want to fight with her about it. Not now, that it can be the last time he sees her**–the madder he gets, the stronger he gets. So don't attack until I'm done with him, or he's done with me.**

As the green giant and the man in armour collide, is like the entire world is shaking, the air gets hotter, like million of suns that burn at the same time. Then, when Tony finally has the Hulk in his hands, he starts to broadcast a signal…

"Bossy boooossss?? – a sweet, innocent, girly voice comes from one of Blackdragon's bracelets – there's something you probably want to hear. It's a signal who's broadcasting worldwide from Iron Man's armour system" "Ok, Fry, let's listen to what my big bro wants to tell to the world."

**Yes. I fired the Hulk into space, so if you need to blame someone, blame me. But everything I've done, I'll do today, I'll ever do, I do it to protect this world. –****as he speaks, the fight change, and now, thay are fighting each other on the city ground, facing each other, ready, maybe, for the ultimate fight of their lives -**** Someone once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. That's usually thought of a lesson for children, a simple injunction to do the right thing, but there's nothing simple about it. When I put on this armour, I took on more power than any human was ever intended to have. And maybe more responsibility than my heart can truly bear, but today… I will do my job. I will protect you, no matter what it takes. – **before Hulk was in charge, now it's Tony, who throws his former friend through some buildings, but the situation continues to change from an instant to the other one, continues to evolve -** And today it's going to take more than it ever has, because I've just injected the Hulk with nanobots. They're designed to suppress his powers. But there's no guarantee they'll keep him down for long. So by the authority vested in me by the United States government and Shield, and because I know my friend Bruce Banner would want it this way, I take the responsibility. **As he speaks, the Hulk lays on the soil, and when two Warbirds appear at Tony's back, the show starts, and the Hulk is suddenly hits by their firepower, as the air gets again hotter, and explodes with the power of millions of burning suns; but when everything gets back to normality, what Tony sees what the world sees, it's not what they are waiting for, 'cause the Hulk is still there, like it was just a gentle breeze that touched him, and he is madder than ever. _**You killed her!**_ he shouts at Tony, who doesn't know if he means "youthe Illuminati" or maybe just "You Iron Man", but it doesn't mind, 'cause now it's a one way fight, with the Hulk who takes him, and starts to destroy him… and his armour… and throws him against his own building, under the eyes of the other heroes, who can do nothing to help him, included Chris, who looks at scene with still her mask on, to hide the fact the she is crying behind it, that she wants to scream, to just run in his help, but she can't, because she knows too well that he will kill her in few instants, he is too mad. As the tower falls on the ground, they can't resist, and stop to follow Tony's order; they run, they flight, they levitate to where the base was. Blackdragon goes quicker than she can, still forcing the tears to stay in her eyes, worried for what she, they just saw. _Please, let him be still alive. I can't lose him, not now… I need my brother as he needs me…_

Bossy boooosssss?? There's an incoming transmission from the Xavier Institute… Fry appears again, from her bracelet, and flies along with her.

"Not now, Fry, tell Scott that whatever it is, I'm not interested. I'm not going to work in this black ops team he wants to build. I've done enough dirty work in my life when I was with Charles…"

He says that the Hulk was at the Mansion and tried to kill the professor, but that he didn't, 'cause he found out that the mutants are no more, and feel pity for them and then…

"Is there something else, something useful, that can help us to defeat him?"

MMM, no, he isn't speaking about…

"then tell him to let me stay, and that, if he wants, help is ever welcome, also from him. Fry, end of transmission, here we are." 

When the heroes arrive at Avengers Tower, there's no trace of Iron Man, the only one they see is the Hulk, who is still destroying everything he is on his road. 

"Let's do this. He is just one guy after all…" Cage wants to seem sure of himself, probably he just wants to help the other in his own particular way, but if there's something they know, it's that the Hulk isn't Only a guy. And this time, he is not alone, 'cause at his back, from his ship, a group of "heroes" who follows him emerges; Hiroim, Korg, Elloe, Miek, No Name. They are warbound, and they're not only following the Hulk… but his orders. He is, as one of them explains, their hero, their king, the salvation of their world. _"You stay with murderers, child killers, world breakers. But we'll give you a choice. Speak your true name, be bound to us forever. Serve the green king and he will…" _Hiroim hasn't finished to speak yet, that the Greek God of War and Passion, Ares, is going to attack him, just to be stopped by Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, Bruce Banner's cousin. When she takes his axe, everybody starts to look at her, to question her… and over all, her fidelity. 

"We don't know whose side she is really on." 

"That's your problem, Samson. You think there has to be sides, while I'm just here to talk."

"Blackdragon, you are a telepath, what can you tell us?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything, Miss Marvel. I don't usually use my power on people who are on my same side. My brother can tell what he wants, but She-Hulk is an heroine, and helped the X-men in may occasions, I'm not going to question her, not this time."

"You already tried this, and he almost killed you."

"Because, Samson, you separated Bruce from the Hulk, but if Bruce is in there, he'll listen to me." 

"_**Walk away"**_ he only answers her, as she tries to go near her beloved cousin.

"Bruce, I can't."

"_**Then stop talking, and start fighting" **_Jen lowers her eyes, then, resolute as never before, goes in front of him, attacking her own blood, but like it was for Tony before, there's no fight; Hulk doesn't care that she is his own blood, that she always loved him. In less then a couple of minutes, she is on the soil, like it is Ares a couple of minutes later, and then everything burns, when the heroes of two worlds collide… and the heroes of the world known as Planet Earth are defeated… Spider-Woman and Miss Marvel, Samson and Spider-man are taken by the brute force, by the power, while Cage and Blackdragon are literally thrown away, up in the sky, by a couple of warbounds…

_God help us _it's the last thing that she is able to think straight, and when, few hours later, she wakes up in a place where she has never been before or that, at least, she doesn't remember about, she is just a little confused about what's happening and what happened.

_My head, my poor head… it seems that, with all the IQ that I've, it's not enough… _"Fry, situation" she says as she pushes a gem-like button on her bracelet, and wakes up, still massaging her temples. The no more so clear image of Fry appears in front of her, giving her the last details about the situation.

The Hulk defeated not only you, but the entire group you were with, and then went in search of Doctor Richards…. It seems that he has taken captive him and the Thing. Few hours later, he was walking among an acclaiming crowd in the city, and it seems that someone called Rick Jones tried to calm him down, but something happened… he started to scream, he gets madder and run away. He was approached by Hercules' super-team when I intercepted a communication direct to some SHIELD operatives…

_…Those costumed clown have had their chance. It's our game now, move them in. Tell the civilians we're sending their pal a brand-new ten-ton adamantium tribute._

"General Ross is going to send bombs on him… he is not going to kill him. He will only make him madder…and kill innocents…"


	7. WWH: War! part 2

Sorry if it toom me so long, but i really had a writer block... hope you'll like it!

--WAR!(2)--

After her briefing with Fry, for Chris Stark, the world goes dark again; she doesn't feel, it, she doesn't sense it… neither with her technology, or her mutant abilities. The last thing that she remembers is that something hit her, and really hard. It's not a new sensation, after all; she may not be an "all-star" hero, but she fought a certain number of battles… but she has never been at war, at least, not "real" war, and not with creatures like the Hulk and his warabound.

When she wakes up several hours later a fight she can barely remember, her head and her entire body hurt; she is in chains, and, as hard as she tries to sue her powers to look around, she can't; she is powerless. Still on knee on the soil of what she recognize as the Madison Square Garden, Chris prefers to stop to try useless things, and decides it's time to free herself from the adamatium mask she still wears; after all, it's not a brand new news that she is a mutant, patience, if she will have to, maybe, change name (or maybe she'll just do like Tony did a lot of times, telling the world that he is Iron Man and then the contrary). She freezes, tears in her eyes, but too proud to let them go away. Reed and Tony… not only in chains, but in cage, with what it seems sever injuries. And, in front of them, on his throne of destruction, the Green King… with the one she knows, from the files she red in the past, as Rick Jones, the one who tried to get help from the Luke Cage's Avengers, the one who tried to calm the Hulk down, the one who is still trying to do it… the one who knows maybe better than anyone else the Hulk, his first sidekick, the one who started everything… to save him, Bruce Banner risked his life, and, serving as human shield against the radiation, absorbing them at his place, become the Hulk.

"Bruce, it's insane!" she hears him say. But the Hulk doesn't answer, he remains in silence, while his warabound speaks for him. "It's insane taking the greatest her of your planet and shouting him into space!" the one knows as Miek – or so she remembers – tells the young man, taking him for his shirt's collar.

"He was out of control, they were his friends, they just wanted to help him!" she knows it's true. If they were forced to shoot him into space, then, there wasn't other reasonable choice. And she isn't telling that just because Tony is her brother, she is thinking that for the ones like Stephen. Stephen Strange is a man of medicine, a good man, not a Machiavelli like Tony. If even Stephen agreed with this choice, than it was really the necessary one.

"The shuttle killed millions of people, his queen, his child, it's not help! You spoke about hell, but you don't know it, yet. I'll show you it." The alien continues, still with Johns in his hands.

She continues to listen to them, as Johns talks about heroes and Justice, and the alien about the death of his family, specie, people, trying to prove his point, and he is going to FINALLY AND PERMANENTLY prove it, killing or who knows what the human, when suddenly, the ones knows as the priest is… the only word that she can think about is thrown… on the still silent king's feet… a voice coming from what it seems to her the realm of the dead ones speaks loud… and in front of them it appear a well known figure… Stephen Strange, sorcerer supreme, in all his power and glory, darker as never before, with maces where his hands, the ones he fought so hard for, once where. "Strange smash!" he exclaims, leaving astonished the Hulk. Seeing him, and his extreme measure, the only thing that she can think about is that they are bringing hell on heart, making the innocents pay for mistakes done by others.

First the warabound, then the hulk himself, they are all his targets; she looks at them, at the man she believed she knew, and she doesn't see a man…. He calls them monster, but there's only one there, among them… and it's Stephen Strange, who called on him a power darker than the night itself, a power stronger than anything else, a power that will not end destroying only the invasors… but the ones it was supposed to defend as well….but when they take the battle outside the arena, where the people is, Strange accidentally provokes a break-up, and the Green King is the one who avoids any causalities. For the first time after his arrival, Strange seems… desperate. Chris doesn't need her powers to see that he is on the verge of a psychological break-up… "The little people… this much anger, the power… hard to control… I'm sorry…." His voice is nothing more than a mere whisper in the air; now that he is vulnerable, the Hulk takes benefit of the situation, of his regrets… and he hits, and hits, and hits… harder and harder… harder as he can, leaving him to Miek, almost dead. Few instants later, as Chris finds herself among the other heroes, among he friends, her team-mates, people start to enter in the arena, as a voice, a feminine one, welcome them… as she raises her face, she just doesn't see her friends, many friends… but the ones she knows better, maybe, than anyone else in the world, in front of their inquisitor. And she can't avoid it… she cry, tears now escaping from her dark eyes, as she sees her brother. "Black Bolt, MR. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Iron Man. They destroyed the Crown City, killed a million of people." Her cry becomes more hysterical, although is still silent, as she sees Reed trying to defend himself and the others, getting, as answer, only an electric shock from his obedience disk, under the desperate eyes of his family. She knows how they feel, it's what she feels, her too… she can't believe that so many people is speaking against them, against the ones who saved them so many times, while the Hulk destroyed so may lives in the past. Send him into space was the right thing, it was for a greater good… and they are not murderers, she knows them, she knows Tony… she is sure as hell that it's not their fault the explosion of the shuttle, and what he is doing it's not right. He opens a door, and behind it, there's a monster. He wants revenge; he told so, never stop make them pay, and he is going to apply his law on them, the law of the arena; they are going to feel what he felt, they have to. They fight, as hard as they can. He even let them use their powers… although Stephen, his hands destroyed by the Hulk and his spell, can't, no more. Relief appears on her face, a small light of hope, as she sees that they defeat the creature, thanks to Tony and Black Bolt.

"They'll find a way, we'll find a way, Chris" she hears a voice at her right. She turns, and sees no ones but Ororo Munroe… Storm… former member of the X-Men, of the Fantastic Four, and Queen of Wakanda. They both smile, as Ororo helps Chris to wake up from her position. "it's a long time. The last time I saw you, it was at Jean's burial. You went away, without say a proper goodbye"

"I didn't feel too comfortable, with Emma around, so I left…. I'm sorry I went away, and that I missed you - Truth is, she didn't know which side she had to be on. – maybe we spook too soon…." She looks at what is happening now. The Hulk and the warabound want the Illuminati to fight against each other…to kill each other, and they can't avoid it. With the obedience disks, although their minds tell them to not fight, they can't avoid it. And so, they take their weapons, as their friends scream with terror. "Tony, no!" she screams, she cries, she just feels terror, with just a hope in her heart… that the extremis is working, that he still could control machines…. And that it could work. But what she doesn't wait for is them to use his power against his friends… forging a robot-guard or what the hell is to fire at Reed… they fight, and fight. And fight. And the answer of the Hulk is a verse thumb… dead. "You already killed a whole world, why stop now?" as he speaks, as he looks at them, they fight… not only against each other, but against themselves. And there's nothing Chris can do, but looks at them.

"You told them they killed your family… but you are doing the same thing! You are killing someone's family! Anthony, Richards, Black Bolt, Strange… they are fathers, sons, brothers, husbands… you tell them they are monsters, but you are not different from them…" she would say this at loud, but she can't, she doesn't have the strength. She can just look… and she almost collapses as she sees that the Hulk has stopped them, just to announce that he is going to destroy the city, leaving them survive just to make them remember… make the people remember… who and what they… he thinks… they are. But then, the miracle happens. The hero they were waiting for arrives… and the fight explodes, literally.

"God Tony, what the hell did you tell him?" Reed asks him, as he sees what the Sentry is doing… he releases the power of a million of exploding suns.

As their chains disappear, Chris forgets everything, the only thing she wants to do, the only thing she cares about, is running in her brother's arms.

"Tony! – she cries, as tears run from her eyes – Tony, I was so scared… I feared…"

"Easy sis, there's an injured man here, let me breathe. – He pauses, caressing her soft, perfumed if vanilla, hair – I just told him that sometimes to do the right thing you have to play god."

"Tony, we have to stop this. The satellites now must be on-line again!"

"I'm trying, Reed! But it's not nearly enough…" Brood uses his body to shield them from the explosion… not to save them, but to make them save their world, 'cause no one wants to see another world die.

"I'm working on the Chinese system… and on the Russian one…"

"There's always the shi'ar probe… Go on, Now, Tony, Now!"

"Still hacking the databases…. Haven't measured the effects of the rays…."

"Hurry, Tony, we have to hit them, now!"

"Wait, Reed…." ALL SYSTEMS BACK ON LINE, DIRECTOR STARK. And when they are going to fire him, something happens… there's no Hulk and Sentry, just Robert and Bruce… "No… come back to us, Hulk!" and so, Miek takes one of the weapons, and tries to hit Banner, hitting, instead, Rick Jones, who pays his old due making shield for him with his body, like Bruce did so many years before for him…. And in front of this show, there's nothing Bruce can do if not come back as Hulk, attacking his former ally. "Never stop making them, pay, it's what you taught me. It's why I killed them. It's why you'll kill me. I've always to remind you… when you found your queen, you just wanted peace. But you killed the red king. You had to slaughtered his people, but you let them live… and they loaded a warp core onto the shuttle. They wanted to kill you. I wanted to remind you what you were made for."

"Without you, none of this would have happened. I'll hate you forever, almost as much as I hate myself. Do it, before I break the world…." The monster, the Hulk, cries as in agony.

"God help us all… I'm sorry Chris, forget me for all that I done to you, if you can, sis. - he says as he releases his sister and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. - Target Anthony Stark. Wait for my mark and… fire!"

Chris looks at her brother in disbelief, as he runs near Hulk, just to leave immediately his position…. And then, the Hulk disappears, leaving space to Banner once again, and this time, maybe for the last time.

"So many people suffered for this… so much destruction… he lost the love of his life, he just wanted a reason, a guilty."

"Chris…." Tony pouts a hand on his sister's shoulder, but she doesn't turn her head. She loves her brother; she cares about him, but what he did…

"Do you have other secrets, Tony? What don't you tell me? – he takes the hand away, looking in the opposite direction, without saying a word – then, maybe, I need a break, time out of here. Don't look for me."

"If you'll return to them… to Luke and Peter and the rest, I'll come after you. Please, Chris, don't leave me… not this way…"

"I'm not going to join them, Tony, I'm just leaving… for now. I'll return big brother, I'll return to you.Someday"


	8. Excalibur: Interlude

Disclaimer: i just own Blackdragon, and no one of the Marvel Universe Charachters. Note for my readers: this chapter is a little "out-of-continuity", for what concerns some characters included in the following storyline, 'cause I just took, well, inspiration, from some stories I recently re-red and this chapter really jumped in my mind... so, please, forgive me, and be nice, 'cause i ttried as hard as i could, but wasn't able to resist. hope you'll like it. Best regards, Yours Lizzie.

* * *

--INTERLUDE: EXCALIBUR--

**_New York, at one of Rand Corporation's Real Estate_**

"Ehy, Logan, do you X-men have, I dunno, some sorts of X-communicator of whatever you call it?" After the battle with the Hood, just few weeks after the defeated of the Hulk, the "Secret" Avengers disassembled, with Jessica Johns gone with the "official" Avengers and Strange gone Only-God-Knows-Where to find his way to peace and tranquillity back. Now they are no more at Strange Sancta Sanctorum, but in one of the apartments owned by Danny Rand, better know by the world as Iron Fist, Cage's best friend. But right here right now, in the kitchen of the "main" local, there are no Danny and Luke, but "just", among the others, Echo (who meditates in front of the balcony), the New Ronin aka Clint Barton, and Logan, the mutant, who, as answer, throws at the blonde man a pair of sunglasses, that he takes from the pocket of his jeans shirt, sort of, with red lens.

"Tell me, Barton, what do you need them for?" he says as he starts to drink his cold beer, as the blonde former avenger wears the sunglasses, starting to see the world in red. "Tell me how they work and I'll tell you why I need them"

"Just pushing the button on the right, you'll see who's connected, who has its communicator on stand-by, or who you can leave a message to. – he pauses – your turn" he says as he goes to seat near Clint, giving him a beer, too.

"I tried to call Chris at her numbers… her cell, her home-number, I even tried e-mails, sms, and everything I had. But she doesn't answer. I need to explain her a couple of things, I have to speak with her. I though that, maybe…"

"She will not answer just because it's a communication from the X-Men. – he takes another sip of beer – wait, do you know Blackie? How do you know her?"

"We are old friends. I met her before she and Alec get married, and she went back to England where she joined Excalibur… but this is a part of her story that you already know, right? – this time it's Clint's turn to pause, and when he does it, he looks outside the window, to look at Echo, wondering about all the mess their lives are now – Why doesn't she answer to the X-men? I mean, she is one of you, there's all that crap about the crusader with the X, brotherhood, and etcetera etcetera…"

"I guess that you, being her best mate, from what I see, you already knew that she and Alec were in Genosha when the Sentinels attacked. Do you know what she was doing there? – Clint doesn't answer – well, you see, Chris worked for Charles, maybe she still works for Charles, I dunno. She is a member of the group called XSE… mutant spies. Charles asked her to move to Genosha and spy Magneto, using as excuse the fact that the old man, at the time, was paralytic, and she was studying a sort of artificial central nervous communication system… Alec was with her. He died, she felt guilty, and she left. She came back to England."

"You can believe me or not, but I know the entire story. And by the way, I know she was in England, I heard she was there when we fought the Wrecking Crew and we saved Excalibur's Captain Britain. Tell me something I don't know about."

"Ok, well, there's maybe a thing you don't know about. A couple of weeks before your mess with your old friend Wanda, that false Magneto or whoever he was attacked New York, and killed Jean Grey, among the other things."

"I was there, I know it. Split to the interesting part."

"Well, maybe you don't know what happened at Jean's funeral..."

**_Flashback._**

Jean grey's funeral is finished, and, at the mansion, life goes on, life has to go on. The students come back to what it remains of their dorms, the teachers and the X-Men to what is left of the rest of the construction. Charles's plane is already in the air, ready to go to Genosha, and few of the X-Men are with him. Chris, with one of the new black leather and Kevlar X-men uniforms, is looking at her friend's gravestone from a hill, and what she sees makes her freeze; Jean's body is still warm, and Scott is kissing a half-naked Emma in front of his wife's gravestone. She never liked Emma. She was a member of the Hellfire Club, someone who used her powers for her own interest, someone who killed (and someone who had an affair with her brother) first, and than, she never liked Scott so much, he had never been a too loyal husband or boyfriend for her friend, for Madeline or whoever he was with . While she turns her back to the couple and is leaving, she hears a mental voice calling her. She smiles, and, as she sees who's speaking in front of her, she runs in her direction, hugging, one after the other, all the 3 girls, but one of them more then the others. "Ray! I heard you were dead! I'm so happy you aren't! where were you? What were you doing? Why didn't you call me? Last time I heard of you, you were fighting with Nate a certain Sisterhood, if I'm not wrong, and it's been years! You can't imagine what happened in the meanwhile; I needed you so much, all of you!" she tells her breathless, in a hurry.

"Listen to who's speaking! After we found you at Genosha you disappeared! We were worried for you. And we need you, too, Chris… we really had some big problems during the last months."

"Yeah, Ro, I heard that another interstellar conqueror wanted to marry you.- Chris smiles, tried to hide the fact that she knows how much hurt her friend was. - I'm just sorry that we just have these reunions when someone dies."

"aren't you forgetting to say, at least, "hi", to me, too? I mean, with Ray, I'm the one you know from longer, and you even don't say a word to me!" She smiles at Kitty; she knows she is just having fun on her, that she doesn't mean it, really, its more sarcasm than critic.

"Ehy, you know I'm happy to see you, too! After all, who's my best friend? But I have to admit that I didn't wait to see you here, I thought you were still in Chicago."

"Lockheed and I had to help Ororo&Co. and I was going to come back home when I heard the news and decided to come to help. So, if you want to say hi to your favourite pet dragon as well, you'll have to come back to the mansion with us…"

"And maybe we could discuss about my offer. I'd rally like to have you among my "new" group, Chris."

"So, look who's here, with our kid Kitty and the girl who isn't supposed to exist… Tony's little sister. How your brother's doing?" Both Ray and Chris react at what they see as insults, and attack Emma on the astral plane; she reacts, but it's outnumbered, although she tries a certain number of tricks. "Enough, Ladies, we're done here" Later, Scott arrives to divide them, but the damage is already done…

**_End Flashback_**

"So, she and Emma aren't exactly in touch, this is the reason she doesn't want to hear about you x-men"

"Yep. What about you? Why is she mad with you?"

"I told her I wasn't going to join you, than she found out that I did. That, and an other little thing." He shows him the warrior woman, still meditating. Logan understands what's going on, and, when Clint tries for the first time to call her, he leaves.

"Just another thing, Barton; If she doesn't answer, try Sage. She is in London, with Excalibur, and from what the girls at the mansion told me, Chris went to say hello to Betsy and Captain Britain… maybe she knows how to reach her or, if you are lucky enough, they are in the same place**." **

**_Meanwhile, _****_London_****_._**

"TJ! Over here!" When a blue-skinned girl enter in the room, she joined her friends, the ones he knows, and the one she doesn't know. Sitting at a table, hearing Ali's angelic voice, there are Cain Marko, Xavier's step-brother, ex criminal turned in hero, Sage, Brian and his sister, Betsy, Chris and Pete Wisdom.

"So, Brian, is my brother in trouble? With Lionheart and Albion…"

"I thought about it, a lot. All the captains I know of, choose the amulet, but, instead, she choose the sword… I never though to the possibility of another corps, with the ones who choose might over reason."

"And is that so negative, Brian?" Chris stops them, still looking at the stage.

"I beg your pardon?" Brian looks at her, with a vein of anger in his voice, disappointed. Excalibur met Chris years and years before, when Kitty was still seventeen, and she still was a fresh bride. They helped her to find her own path, to become Blackdragon, and now, after all these years, what she is telling him?

"I always thought that it's not the choice you made, but the reason you made it, and how you made it. I met Kelsey when I was visiting Tony at Avengers Mansion, I have few friends among the Avengers, and they all told me only nice things about her… they told me she didn't choose the sword to attack and conquer, but to defend her children. I don't think it's a less noble choice than the amulet. And then, a realm doesn't need only a king, but warriors, too."

"Well, I suppose I'll have to find a solution, sooner or later. – Brian pauses, and looks at the brown haired woman who once was a very good friend, but seems to question him now – By the way, Chris, how are you? I never had the occasion to ask it…"

Chris puts her hands under her chin, and looks at Marko saving both Ali and TJ… TJ… Kurt's daughter from another dimension… Kurt and Scarlet's daughter. She remained her of the time in Excalibur, with Kurt, how life was easier.

"Physically, I'm fine. The wounds that I got from the Hulk's warabound are disappeared, they weren't so grave. Mentally and emotionally, I have to admit that I still don't know. Not all the days you find out that your brother fires someone into space and almost destroyed humankind convincing a madman to play God."

"You still refuse to talk to him? – she nods - you haven't decided if you want to accept my proposal to stay in the group, yet, have you? I'd like to have you back, as in the old, glory days."

"And you could use a little psych help, sometimes, since Sage isn't a so powerful telepath and your telekinetic isn't here stably." He smirks, while Pete looks at them annoyed, while drinking a glass of scotch with ice.

" Braddock, Team Leader is here, mate. It's not your choice who you have to offer membership to, do you remember? Although – he pauses, giggling at Betsy and Chris - I'd like to say that the fact that Betsy isn't real and Chris is a famous, brilliant, billionaire with superpowers and few scars, doesn't mean that I can't have a go with one of you two."

"Foul Pig. Thank god that I no more posses my telepathic powers…"

"Stark, I've another call for you on my comm.-link, but this time it's not your brother. It's a certain Barton. – Tessa tries to give her the sunglasses, but Chris refuses, leaving her seat – he says it's important and that…"

"tell the liar that he can do what he wants of his life, and with whom he likes more, 'cause I don't care. Oh, and tell him that the fact that I temporary left Tony's side doesn't mean I'm on his one or that I'll start spying on the Avengers for him! And, by the way, remember that I go by Johnson now!" She doesn't wait for a reply; she just leaves her chair and the club, angry as never before. Every time, the same story, there's always someone who wants to use her… Charles, Erik, Tony, and now, Clint, too… he was her best friend, he was supposed to be out of this game! He told her he wasn't going to do it, but then, what did she saw on tv? Him, with the ronin suit!

Few hours later, Chris is in the apartment she is renting for few weeks, when someone knocks at the door. She opens it, hoping that it's not her brother, or an X-Man, and she remains almost wordless when she sees…

"Pete? What are you doing here?" Yeah, no else than Pete Wisdom, MI13 agent, dressed in one of his usual completes (the one he had while he was listening to Ali) and with a bottle of red wine.

"I was in the neighbourhood buying a packet of cigarettes, and I decided to make you a visit. – he immediately goes to seat on the sofa, waiting for the open bottle and a couple of glasses - So, who's the moron?"

"Who's the moron, who? " she asks him as she gives him what she took fromthe kitchen and pretending she didn't understand his question.

"I mean, The moron who preferred someone else at you, that one…. that Barton guy. We are hanging out from what, a couple of weeks and you never spoke with me about him… and, as strange as it can seem, you speak with me a lot."

"Clint is just an old friend. I always had a huge crush on him, but he never saw me in that light, I think he never figured out that I'm a woman… he slept with more than half the women he knew, but not me. Almost no one figures out I'm a woman, these days."

"Than, they are idiots. You are intelligent, strong, and sometimes you are still able to be funny. And don't forget that costume of yours. Really sexy, I can't understand how your brother can let you go around dressed that way. _I'm not like almost no one, honestly, I'm just beginning to think that I could see you in that way."_ He smiles at her, smirking, not knowing if she just heard the last part of his speech, that he almost whispered, drinking his wine and mentally asking for a cigarette.

"next time find a better excuse to come at my place."

"I beg your pardon, what are you talking about?"

"you quitted smoking at least a couple of months ago. Brian told me he never sees you with a cigarette" It's Chris' turn to smirk, at him.

"Well, I could start with NOT finding an excuse at all, then. I mean, why do I need an excuse to come here? I mean, we are dating… sort of."

"You know what, Pete? Shout up – she tells him as she goes to seat near him, taking the glass from his right hand, leaving him wordless for a second or two – stop to pretend you are the toughest guy on earth and be again the man I almost like spend my time with, ok?"

"_almost_ like spend your time with? – he pauses, as she gives him an annoyed look, as she goes nearer and nearer , then smirks at her, a little - well, at this point, I think I should ask you if I may kiss you, Stark…"

"Stop to call me Stark just to drive me mad and maybe we could discuss about it…."

**_Next Morning._**

Again, her comm.-link is showing that someone is trying to contact her. Chris is still in bed, she is really a mess, always been in the morning, and looks at the sunglasses on her nigh table, not knowing what she has to do, answer or not. Then she takes a decision: she sits on the bed, puts the white shirt she finds on the feet of the bed on, and answers. After all, she can't continue to play the game for the rest of her life.

"Blackdragon here, what the hell do you need now?"

_It's days that I'm trying to contact you! What the hell were you doing? 'com Chris, I mean, I'm okay with you leaving Tony after the War, but you can't avoid me just because I didn't tell you that I was going to join Logan and the others._

"It's complicated, and I don't have neither the time or the desire to explain you why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"mmmmm….."

_What or who's that?_

"It's not your affair!"

_Chris, you are like a sister and I think you should come back. It's better for everybody. For you, Tony, maybe even us._

"With "us" you mean "us" like in "men and you" or "us" like in "you and your secret Avengers or whatever you call yourselves"? – she doesn't have any reply from his side - Clint, I need to… make my own choices, you and Tony have to stop to push me in the directions you want me to go. I'm tired of having regrets for having made choices that weren't my ones… so gimme a break, ok. Listen, I have to go, really, but one day or another we really have to speak about our… issues. I'll call you when I'll call you, ok? See you soon." She hangs up, and looks at the man near her. He, it makes her a strange effects, and not only him, but the whole situation. It's almost two years since the last time she spent the night with a man… and the only man she has ever slept with was her husband. The man near her is the second man of her life… the first after her husband's death. She smiles, turning to look at him, how peaceful he seems. Seeing that he is almost woken, she gives him a kiss on the lips, putting her arms around his neck, to make him fully exit from his dream. "Much better than the alarm Clock, you know. Looking uncommon unrespectable, Stark. – he pauses, smiling – you know, it's funny, but I have a shirt that looks just like that, petal."

"It's just something I picked up from the floor, since I noticed that you don't sleep in this suit, as I always believed. And it's Johnson now, stop to forget."

"MI13 doesn't allow sleep, luv"

"Right now, it doesn't look this way… speaking of which… good Morning Agent Wisdom"

"Good morning to you, Stark…. Sorry, Johnson. So...what time is it?"

"We missed breakfast, and lunch is in danger of becoming a distant memory…. But I figure we had a decent excuse to sleep in. It was a pretty late night, and I don't know you, but I surely don't have to go to work… So, I know a great takeout place, they deliver. So, I was thinking…"

"If you were thinking that we could stay in bed all day – he starts to kiss her neck – than I agree, and I'm sure that I'll find a way to work up an…. appetite. My phone, damn! I hate to interrupt this, but I have to. Can you give me just a minute or so? I promise I'll return to you as soon as possible. Wisdom… Ehy, Brian, mate, what's up? No, I'm not exactly in the neighbourhoods… so, what's happening? Ok, then, I'll arrive when I'll arrive… no, I'm a little occupied at the moment, I'm… discussing important things. No, okay. See you soon, mate. . – he closes his mobile and takes the shirt she gives him back, as she is already getting dressed with one of her polo and a pair of jeans; he is a little nervous. – So, Braddock asked me to join him on something he is working on. You know, Sage wants some sort of briefing about the whole Albion thing, and they asked my presence, but I thought that maybe, when it's over, we could… you know, I don't know, maybe… I don't know, maybe have lunch, or dinner together, and maybe we could exchange a couple of words about what happened last night, too…"

As he is leaving, she smiles at him, and, taking him for his tie, she gives a kiss on the lips, that he deepens, she just whispers him "First thing: thanks. After the last months, I really needed someone who wanted to listen to me, and thanks a lot for the amazed night, too. It was what I needed, and I don't regret it, although you could really damage my image. And thanks for the fact that you didn't leave before I wake up."

"You know, you could ruin my reputation, too. I mean, Everybody thinks I'm a lady killer, and then you show up, here, and I stop to be the… how did you call me? "the toughest guy on earth?", and I end in your arms."

"So, we don't tell to a living soul that we go out together for protect our reputation… nice thing, I'm really a Stark, I can stop to be pissed when you call me by my step-brother's surname, then.- She pauses, still looking at him, in the eyes. She knows Pete Wisdom from years, he was her best friend's boyfriend, she always had a certain idea of him… but right here, right now, she thinks that he just never lets anyone in, he just shows people what they think he is. If someone had told her that, one day, she had fallen for him, and ended in bed with him, almost crazy for this man… she send them in the nearest asylum, that's for sure. But what she is seeing of Pete Wisdom right here right now amazes her – Pete, there's still a thing I want to tell you."

"what?"

"I'd like to have dinner with you"

"Ok, then, we go to dinner together. What about a real dinner? I mean not only the coffees and the wine we share. I could cook for you. I really can cook. You'll like it."

"A spy, Good Looking, able to cook, decent in bed, you even have the strength to listen to me about my troubles with my step bro… I can't believe you are still single. Maybe the only thing you have to do is start to dress in different ways. I mean, in years, I don't think I've ever seen you with a pair of jeans, or a t -shirt, or polo …"

"I can manage that, too. –he smiles, but, suddenly, he changes expression -Chris, can we, please, just be serious for a minute? - Although he told her he has to go, he sits on the bed, near her, finishing buttoning his shirt adjusting his tie again, after their kiss. – Sage can wait. It's just that… do you regret it? Do you think that it was all a huge mistake?"

"kitty was right. She always told me that in you there's more than meets the eye, and I didn't believe her. I guess I was wrong – she pauses, than goes to seat near him – no, I don't regret it, and I don't think it was a mistake."

"Well, I'm happy, 'cause I think the same, me too. Speaking of which… this night… you… shout and cried, while you were asleep. When I woke up, you were sweated, and… you were… embracing me, a lot, it was like you didn't want to let me go. You just said a couple of words… about Genosha. – he pauses, looking outside the window first, and then at her again, caressing her pale face – is it always that bad? You… do you always have this nightmares, each night?"

"This night, I slept well, I just had a couple of nightmares…. But yes, each times I sleep, I dream of Genosha. Or about my real parents, that tell me what a shame I am since I abandoned their legacy, forgetting who they were and who I was in the first place. But this night… it was a long time since the last time I just dreamed twice in a night. But this night… when I woke, I was in your arms, so each time I come back to rest on your shoulders, on your chest. It was like… I felt like you were protecting me. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"Did I say something while I was asleep? I mean, you speak about Genosha, but I speak in my dreams, me too. So I just wanted to know if I told you something or not."

"If you are asking me if you dreamed of Kitty, no, you didn't. You sure it's a habit for you?"

"No, it isn't…it was."

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As I told you, it wasn't totally inside the official continuity. I hope you liked it, but, if you hated it, it's not a problem, i'm open to any suggestions. I wish to receive some reviews... see you next weekend with the first part of the Messiah Complex!


	9. X Men: Messiah Complex part 1

Disclaimer: i just own Blackdragon, and no one of the Marvel Universe Charachters. Note for my readers:it seems that the last chapters wasn't so good, so i'm jumping in the official marvel continuity again... hope you'll like it. Best regards, Yours Lizzie.

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**--MESSIAH COMPLEX--**

**_XAVIER INSTITUTE_****.**

"this is every mutant that cerebra can locate… a few hundred." Charles Xavier is inside the Cerebra Room, with Hank McCoy, the mutant known as the Best, and Chris Stark. Strangely, Chris just came back from England, where she stayed for a couple of months, and asked for "asylum" at the mansion. After the war with the Hulk, she still feels like she doesn't know where she has to stay… when Brian and Pete asked her to stay, she felt it was the right thing, but unfortunately, she still has a lot of things to do here, and, for force, she had to come back, at least for now. She is still trying to figure out Charles… but truth is, she is maybe doing it for the first time. She never questioned him. She never questioned Tony, or Clint, or any other "heroes", but these are new times, with new ways. She doesn't know, yet, if they are the good ones, but, after all, she has a debt with Charles, he helped her to learn to control her powers when they developed too much when she was younger. If he is in need, well, maybe she has to answer, and if not to him, at least to Ororo and Kurt.… and she needs some explanations, she wants to know what happened to Ray and the others, she wants to see her old friends, maybe it's all. And she has to tell the truth to her best friend… or at least, she had, since Kitty seems to not be still available. Her hart is broken, she wanted to speak with Kitty, she has always been one of her best friends; she missed that time when she helped Excalibur, the happy times. She wanted them back, but she wanted to tell Kitty first, and now? Well, trouble for another time. Right here right now, she want just to get a look at Cerebra, living the moment, trying to not get too depressed by her life, and by the presence of the sentinels. Since her arrival, she hasn't sleep, yet. She can't, not with those monsters in her garden, the monsters that destroyed the place where she lived, who killed her beloved ones… being a telepath isn't easy, in Genosha millions of voices screamed in terror in her mind; she'll never forget this, their deaths will always remain inside her.

"You've never been a fatalist, Charles." Hank is trying to comfort his "old" teacher, who is wearing a grey suit with red tie. It's a long time since the last time she saw him, at Jean's funeral, he is even walking again, now… and that's the first time that she is in the school dressed like a normal girl, with just a white polo and a pair of jeans, and without that damn, heavy adamantium mask.

"We're dying, Henry, and the next generation has been wiped away…"

Chris is near them, looking at the few lights on the globe, thinking that, maybe, she could know them all. There was a time when it was amazing, look at Cerebra and at the lights, its millions of lights, but with Genosha first and Scarlet than, everything has been cancelled. "it's not fatalism, McCoy, there's nothing we can do about it, it's just genetic and evolution, it's nat…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Charles starts to cry, to shout, and the feeling is so intense that Chris can't do anything to avoid to feel it, her too… she listens to his voice in her head, while it hurts… like burned by the power of the sun itself, while Hank tries to turn off cerebra to see what he can do for the both of them… and then, it's cerebra explodes, crying in the minds of all the psyches and filling the air with its electrical wave.

"That… may just have been the rebirth of hope… Henry and Chris, fix it I'll be back to assist in a while." Charles' nose is till bleeding, when hank helps him first and Chris then, to wake up. "Its' the first time I feel something like that…even if I wasn't in Cerebra and I felt it so… so loud… it was like it was shouting in my head, through my nervous system."

**_At the Xavier Institute, the day after._**

_Is everything all right, Charles? _Hank and Chris are still working on Cerebra, when Charles enters in the room, disappointed. He just argued with Cyclops, and she even doesn't need her powers to know it. It's not a novelty that Charles and Scott are no more in good touch…. It was after the whole thing with the sentient Danger Room and then the story with Cyclops' brother and his team, and the whole "brainwashing" thing. That's the difference between Scott and Chris. Scott never saw the "dark side" of his teacher, while that was the only one that Chris has ever seen. She prefers when Charles is that way, when he is the one she really knows, than the perfect teacher and leader.

"just thought, enough time has passed, that I've proven, I don't know, something."

"you train him well, take pride in that, and let him lead. I don't know else to tell you" as Beast is still controlling the Purifier files, Charles, with sad and worried expression, leaves the room, entering in Cerebra, followed, few minutes later, by Chris, who's still dressed like the day before, and, as it seems, doesn't sleep too well, or maybe she even went to sleep, for what he knows. "McCoy is right, you trained Scott well. You trained all of us well, Charles."

"Sometimes, I think that I failed everybody, and overall Sage and you. That I just used you to get what I wanted how I wanted it."

"Sometimes we have to play dirty to get what we have to get… you are not a saint, Charles, but you are not evil, this is something I know for sure." The man doesn't answer; he just remains in silence, looking at Cerebra instead that at the young woman in front of him; she can tell him what she wants, but deep inside himself, he will always feel guilty for her and Sage. He knows that he did it in the best intensions, but like Sage once told him, broking his heart, "I walked through Hell's road, and they were paved with your good intentions". It's something he will never forget, as he will never forget that, one day, he'll have to pay for his mistakes and what he did.

"We need to figure out why this mutant manifested at birth." He tells her, as she lays down on the system, controlling some cables and the interface thanks to Sage's sunglasses.

"Well, I'm not so aware of genetics, but from the data I have, I know that, with the years, the age at which the mutation manifest itself is, each year, lower. Maybe this could be just the case, and then, don't forget that there are few mutations that are manifested since birth. Look at the ones like Nightcrawler or even Jamie Madrox."

"Jamie was here, I saw him argued with Emma about her ways to influence him. And now Emma is arguing with the kids…"

"So, Charles, what do you think of my idea to get Cerebra back on-line? As I told you before, we could by-pass the…" Chris stops to looks at the machine, and when her eyes go in search of her teacher, he is gone; from where she is, she can already listens to one of the students, shouting at him, accusing him of what happened to the others. Chris hasn't exactly been around, during the last couple of years, and Charles, too, especially during the last one, but she knew that not only the kids had a rough year, it was a global phenomenon, for mutants and not only them… first, Magneto declare war to humankind, then Genosha had been destroyed, Charles replaced by his "evil twin sister", who almost destroyed Lilandra and her empire, The so-called secret war, Magneto who took control of New York, killed hundreds of people in the process, and, among them, Jean, too; then they found out that he was just a false Erik and that the real one was still in Genosha and was a "bad man turned good" , the destruction of the Avengers, the birth of a new group, the House of M, the decimation, the death of the former x-men, the Civil War, the birth of the Initiative, the 198 mutants left, the death of one of them, the War of the Hulk, Cable's death, Rogue gravely injured… and now this. _Yeah, it's been a rough year, for everybody._

Chris is still wondering about all of this, reading Cerebra's last readings and controlling her schemes, few hour later; she even doesn't notice that she spend the majority of the day inside Cerebra, and that it's getting late. "Stark? – she hears a voice calls her; when she takes her glasses off, she sees it's McCoy , and that he is still looking not at her, but at what she is doing. Than he remembers that she is no more using that surname, that now she uses her real one – Sorry, Johnson. I had a briefing with Scott, Emma and Bishop. Do you mind if I leave you alone?"

She comes back to what she was doing, without looking at the humanoid lion. "Don't worry, Hank. Computers have always been my best friends." She smiles, and when she finishes to speak, Hank is already gone, she is alone again, doing what she does from a life, talking with machines, enjoying their company, understanding them. And while she does it, she screams in pain. Someone is cutting her off… someone is playing with her telepathy... it's like her blood is boiling in her veins, inside her brain… it hurts so much… much more than when Charles showed her, not wanted it, the birth of the baby mutant. Whoever is doing this, wants the psyches out of its feet. She manages to exits from Cerebra, walking uncertainly, when she sees that the sentinels are destroying the Mansion; she can't survive it, she screams, and collapses on the soil… as Emma, Charles and the Cuckoos do, too.

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Ok, now you can tell me if ypou liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you next weekend with the** second ** part of the Messiah Complex!


	10. X Men: Messiah Complex part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Chracters (altough I'd like it) but Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

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-MESSIAH COMPLEX (2) -

As soon as they are back, at least physically, the telepaths join the others. Now, the x-men are all assembled… Ororo's team, Scott's one, the "young" x-men, even x-factor. Chris looked at what it remain of the mansion broken-hearted… there's no trace of what it used to be, The gravestones of the children, of the former x-men, Jean's memorial. And all that Scott and Charles are able to do is fight, more and more, about everything… about the fact that Scott send the best he had outside, that he send killers against his own son (that he is incredibly alive and well), and that Charles is no more desired around… not able to help them outside, and not wanting to give other looks at the sentinels, she comes back in the infirmary, and to see how Kurt is doing. She knows that his conditions aren't good… she just doesn't want to see another burial, not another friends fall…

"Christine, I need a minuteto speak to you – she turns her head in direction of the voice she just hear, Emma's one, something new, since she always spoke to her mentally - there's a briefing."

"do you really want me in, Emma?"

"I haven't anything against you, Christine, although I understand that maybeyou do. But it doesn't matter if we like each other, the X-Men just need all the possible help, and, since you still have your telekinesis, I thought you could help us." Chris doesn't reply, she knews too well that the former White Queen, her brother's former "mistress", is right, so she follows older woman, and, before to join them in the room, she already hears Scott's hight, resolute and severe voice from the corridor.

"Wolverine and his team are engaging Cable now, and they weren't alone. The marauders are still out there, the purifiers are still out there. We have to be there to back Wolverine when he takes possession of the Baby – possession. What a bad word, for a child. Does Scott really think he is so different from Charles? 'cause, right now, they are very alike – we're leaving in a minute. Monet is with x-factor, Beast has to stay in the med-lab, Surge can cover the students."

Alberta, Canada, later. 

"Logan, tell us what happened here."

"What you see, Slim. We met the enemy, we did them harm. Cable got away with Blackbird one."

"Cable isn't stupid, he knew there's a locator, makes sense he'd deactivated it. – Bobby is still on Blackbird two, trying to find something- Chris here is trying to find a way to activate it at distance, but she is not sure it can work."

"Cable is not a stupid, he knew what we could do."

"he Is going at south." Miss frost, do you hear us? We have a location… dallas, texas. 

"He is looking for Forge. Okay… general alarm. Anyone who can, get there. We have to stop him."

Later.

"Logan's troupes are already in the air, ready to go wherever it needs. But there's something. We miss something. Cable, the purifiers, sinister, the marauders, the sentinels… something wrong."

"Scott, honey… the girls say that Gambit is going to Muir Island."

"Lucas you have your heading. Muir Island. We'll be right behind you."

"Copy that, Cyclops. We're on our way." Scott is just talking to Bishop, when they all hear Siryn's scream… when they run where the young woman is, they find out that Jamie – whose copies had been sent in two different futures, resulting in him falling into a coma – is now awake… and with an "M" symbol, like Bishop's one, on his face. He is just able to ask them where Lucas is, before that everyone run on him. "I can't sense him. He is blocking all the psych attacks. And he is radio-silent. What about you and Monet, Christine?"

"He is blocking not only Emma, but all the ones with Psych powers, including me and Monet. At least now we know where he is going, and why he is doing what he is doing."

"The timing, how he was in the room right when we learned of Cable, the attacks of the sentinels… that he had access to them."

"But why? He is an x-men, and why cable is running if…"

"Bobby, If Lucas is doing it, he had planned it really good. He played with us for years, putting all against all, he even told us there was a traitor among us. Hard to believe it was him… we believed he was a saviour, instead…"

"Well, people, right now we've got to hurry, there's a baby to rescue."

Later, Muir Island.

"X-men, take the Marauders down and find Bishop!" the X-men lead by Cyclops jumped in the palace destroying the ceiling, as their leader start to fire at their enemies with his optic blasts; everyone is doing their best: force, ice, wings, winds, telekinesis, metal, muscles, collide, as the fight for the survival begins.

"There's another telepath here, and it's not Cable…. But Exodus is creating too much interferences, I can't see what's happening or where the child is!"

"Kill anyone in your way, but find the baby!" Now Scott really seems Charles. If you think about it, he is an hypocrite, accusing Charles of mistakes and things that he is doing right now. 

"Scott, someone's coming, I can already sense their presence here… the kids are here, and they are not alone…"

"You can sense something, Chris? The shields are down?"

_No Scott, but it's too loud to not hear it. What the kid are here with… this being called Predator X,is primitive, pure instinct… it just wants to eat mutants… _Chris has just the strenght to whisper it telephatically to her team leader, while she is still mentally monitoring the whole place looking for something, or someone, she already knows.

"Okay people, let's change plans. Logan, you and x-force go after predator x. The students have to go for the marauders, they don't know our kids, and they will not be prepared to face them. The others follow me where's Cable is – later, they are now in sight, in a room where Cable is fighting Bishop, and where Charles is, too. As soon as Scott is in front of his son, he keeps telling him the same things, asking him to give the child to the x-men; as answer, Nathan puts his weapon at Cyclops' head. "Dad, don't make me do this, please."

"Nathan, maybe it's better if you do as Scott says."

"Professor, I thought you understood that you believed me."

"Yes, but it's not my choice or your one, it's the future of our kind. He is the leader of the x-men. He is the one who has to speak for us all. You've done your part. Give him the baby" Chris is still battled the few marauders that have still been able to get inside, near the baby, and she looks at the scene, seeing the 3 of them, hearing them. It reminds her of the past, when Charles and Erik were the two who spoke for the mutants. Now, as Charles takes the baby to pass it to Scott, it seems that Summers is taking Charles' role, too.

"Emma, I've got her….- As he speaks, the baby takes a medallion from Scott's neck, and touches it. No one can knows what happened, or what Scott saw, but something happened there… 'cause he calls his son's name and gives the child to him. – Nathan, this child opens the doors of two possible futures, at least. Take her out of here, let her choose her own path. give her the freedom I was never able to give you. And don't say goodbye, 'cause it isn't goodbye." Not a piece of the chess game of someone else, like Chris has always been. This baby will have freedom, or at least is what they hope. And, although her team-mates don't understand what Scott is doing and don't appreciate his decision, Chris has to admit that she is happy, and that maybe she was wrong about Scott, too. Choosing his own path, he lets Charles out. He is not a "little Xavier", just himself. As the two Summers say a not final goodbye to each other, and Nathan is disappearing thanks to his "time-machine", Bishop wakes up, and, before Scott could stop him, fires… but it's not Nathan who's been hit, it's the professor….

"Scott, Head-shot, deep, and he is not breathing... my god, Charles…"

"I…. I can't feel his mind…. – Chris looks in shock at the man who taught her how to improve her capacities, on her knees, with tears coming from her dark eyes - my god… his mind is.. is like a black hole, a white page… empty… I can't feel anything…"

"Scott, what do we do now that Charles…"

"Bobby, It was Xavier's dream… it begun with him, it ends with him. We can just prey, that this birth means something. But right here, right now… there are no X-men" But when Scott ends his sentence, like it has never been there before, Charles' body is no more with them… is disappeared.

Few Days Later, at what's left of The Xavier Institute.

My step brother is here, Scott, or he'll be by the time I'll finish this thought. Scott and Chris are in what it was the garden of the institute, surrounded by the bodies of the Sentinels, what it remains of the construction and the rest of the statues that once were in the commemorative Garden, the statues of the fallen ones. Scott is in sight, while Chris remains in the dark, avoiding to be seen by her brother both Mentally, Physically and technologically.

Thanks Chris, I see him. In that moment, Iron Man plans on the soil, in front of the man with the sun-glasses, and starts to look around. He had been here before, and sometimes in terrible conditions, but he has never seen it like this before. 

"My God, Scott, why didn't you come to me for help? Why didn't Chris tell me you were in trouble?" He says, without, at the beginning, takes off his helmet, still with an electronic voice.

"Mutants problems tend to get worse when the government is involved, Tony, a lesson we learned a long before your little civil war… a lesson that it seems Chris learned too. Do you already know that she is using her original surname again?"

At this time, Tony takes off the helmet, looking in the eyes at Cyclops, maybe touched by what the X-leader told him about his sister. Sure that he knows, he tried as hard as he can to contact her, and, when he tried with Excalibur, Sage told him that Miss Johnson was still valuating his proposals. "Then you know why I'm here. What happened in Alaska, here, what happened at OUR sentinels, how are you x-men planning to keep the government out of your lives in light of that?"

"You don't have to stop to blaming the bad guys for something we didn't do! If we hadn't gone to Alaska, all that chaos and death would've still happened, Tony…. We just wouldn't have been there to help the survivors." He wants to hit Tony with his fist, Chris knows this, and she has to say, she agrees with him. He is going too far.

"They are pushing to register all of you, the get the x-men into the system. Try to understand. I don't' blame you; I think you are all heroes, I know what you've been through, but to do the things you do…"

"We don't do anything Tony… we just exist. We don't have a choice, it's not what we do… it's how we are born. you want us to register just because we are born? Is that really who you are now? " he almost screams at him, grate for the rain that is hiding that fact that, while he tightens his fists, he almost cries.

"It's not fair, and you know it. As I told you, they are pushing me…" But Scott stops him, with a grave tone of anger in his voice.

" you don't get why I'm the only one here, I was waiting for you, to tell you we're not joining your initiative, we're not working for the government. And, as of right now, there is no x-men. Xavier's dream died in that institute, with it and Xavier himself. Now, we are just mutants, Tony, we don't have secret identities. How you want to deal with that is your problem." As he looks at Scott going to a car, ready to leave for the last time the place where he has grown, Tony puts his hands under his chin, looking at the sky, and, as he does so, Chris leaves the place where she was hiding, letting the rain wet her; she is without costume, without mask, she just wears jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket in black leather, a sign that, like them, she is no more an x-woman, but just a person, who happened to have powers that she never desired. "I know he wasn't alone, that you were probably somewhere in the neighbourhood waiting for the right moment to show yourself. – he looks at her, with a veil of sufferance in his eyes – I'm glad you are back. I missed you."

Chris looks in the eyes of her brother, too, with a feel he can't, or maybe he doesn't want, understand, as she suddenly changes topic, not wanting to speak about herself or her return, but about more serious topics. "You can't ask us to sign in just because we are born. You don't know what will happen if you'll do it. It will be our end. The days of the future past that Destiny and even Rachel told us about, will happen. You started everything, Tony, with the registration. If you don't make attention, soon it will be the end of the world. And this is the reason that I 'm still with you. What you did… Tony, I still don't know what to think about it… but I'm starting to think that you are losing contact with the reality, that you now don't know what's right and what's wrong, that you don't know how to deal with what's happening… you need a needle for your scales, and I feel like it has to be me. This is the reason I'll still be with you. I want to give a look at what's happening, ready to stop the end before it starts, if it will be necessary." Chris turns her back to him, and moves in direction of her personalized and technologically enchanted black Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, while Tony was already in the air, ready to fly away, but, suddenly, he goes in front of her, still in the air, and, removing again the helmet, he looks at her in the eyes… her dark and cold eyes, waiting for something, something he waits for a long time, something that doesn't happen… or at least, not in the way he wishes.

"You betrayed me. You didn't have faith in me, you never had, and frankly, the irony is that I understand why. No one is so crazy to trust a spy, I give you that. But that's not the point… the point is that you lied to me not as a spy, but as a sister, everything started long before I joined the XSE."

"Chris, you know that everything I did… I did it with the better intentions, for your own good. I didn't mean to use you, I'm genuinely sorry if you think…"

"Well, Tony, stop to be sorry, and start to act like a grown-up… and remember that I'm an adult, me too, you can't push me away pretending that it's for my own good, because it still hurts! When you… when you become so distant, so many years ago, I knew you were Iron Man, and that you just wanted to protect me, but I still feel betrayed, after a long time! So, please, this time, don't push me in the direction you want me to go. I need some time to come to trust you again. Will you give me it?"

"I… understand you. – He pauses, as he is putting again on his helmet, but then he hesitates, and stops – I didn't lie to you because I didn't trust you… I didn't tell you about what was happening because… because I know that a family was all you ever wanted, and I know that I probably used it to get to you, but the more we… the more we got along, the more I realized that it was what I wanted, me too. I wanted my little sister back… you are the only other survivor of our family… we are brother and sister in everything but blood, and I really mean it, you can read my mind if you want, and you'll find that's true. I lied because… because I didn't want to lose you, Chris, not again."

"As I told you, Tony, I'll still be at your side, for now, but I need some time to get over what you did… and maybe one day things will go back to normal." A smile crosses her face, as it stops to rain and the sun shines again. But if you'll do some stupid mistake, big enough to destroy us all, I'll be the one that will stop you; I'll even stab you in the back... if it will be necessary to save us all.

* * *

Ok, now you can tell me if ypou liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you next weekend with the** a new chapter of the Balckdragon saga... see you with "HAUNTED", special guest.. IRON MAN!**


	11. Iron Man: Haunted

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Chracters (altough I'd like it) but Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

* * *

HAUNTED

**_Stark_********_Towers_****_. Tony Stark's private apartment._**

It's late at night, when Tony Stark is still checking some data at his docking station, with just his pyjama pants on. He still has his hands to cover his face, completely sweated, when he feels a hand on his right shoulder and sees a cup of hot coffee flying in front of him. He rises his head and sees that the person at his back is Chris… no wonder, since she is the only one with kinetic powers in the whole building, and one of the few who remain in the whole world. She removes her hand from his shoulder, and stands near him, with just a pair of grey short and top, her night suit her hair layered, looking at crossed arms at the data and the images he is looking at, concentrated. Tony looks at her, at the person who, **_again _**is giving him **_an other _**chance. But he ahs to admits, he is not sure if Chris is doing it because she really wants things back to how they used to be when they were just a couple of kids, or because she wants to control him, to make sure he didn't do any more damage that he has already done, or maybe the both of them, or who knows what… if there's a person who's not so simple to read, that's Chris, and he is just getting to understand her now, and not even completely. Seeing her here, near him, checking on him, makes him hope that she is here just for him, but suddenly he realizes that she is there with him, and he hadn't had a report from his system about her presence in the apartment, something that it isn't supposed to happen; neither with her.

"Chris, what are you doing here?- he asks her, looking in the eyes of the brown head, realizing that she isn't hearing to him, putting all her attention on what he was looking at – Tony to Chris, do you hear me? I asked you what you are doing here."

Without stop to look at the screens, Chris rises and eyebrows as she notices a snapshot; she, than, answers, without paying too much attention to Tony, still focused on the screens; as she once told McCoy, computers have always been best friends, and it's not so far from the truth. "Oh, yes, sorry. I heard you scream about Steve, I just wanted to check on you, see what's was going on, if everything was all right."

Suddenly, Tony remembers when he first started to be Iron Man, when, to protect her from his enemies, started to push her away, that, in a similar occasion, few years ago, he'd probably told her to leave, that he was okay, that once checked she could come back to her own apartment. But now is different. Now he knows that he doesn't have to push her away, because she doesn't need to be protected, and because he needs her here, around him… and it's true. He puts his ands on the back of his head, and continues to looks at the screens, but now he is smiling.

"You just by-passed my security measures; you just did a perfect job, my Little Miss Perfection" When she hears him calling her with the nickname he used when she was just a little kid, she turned her head in his direction, with an annoyed look on her face. She never liked that horrible nickname when she was a kid, figures now, that she is an adult, a woman… "I grew up with you and Dad around, and even my real dad was a genius, and I even ended studying with Reed Richards and becoming his assistant and friend. What do you expect from me, less than this? Really, Tony… - she looks at him, smiling sarcastically – sometimes you can be really unbelievable. And, just to let you know, you don't know the half of how good I am." Again, Chris smiles at the man that she called brother for a long time, and sometimes still does. She hopes that he doesn't know how good she is, because she is controlling – or better, she is monitoring - him through that file-safe program she implanted in all the latest versions of his armour. She looks at him smile at her, a sincere smile, like the ones he had when they were children, and she freezes, but smile, just a little, in return. Chris knows her brother, she knows he isn't so good with words, he prefers actions, and smiling at her that way he wants to tell her that it's nice to have her around again, but suddenly, looking at his eyebrows, how he changed expression, she gets the point…

"If you need help, I can ask Fry to check some data for you, in case, you know, you wanted to rest…"

"First, Friday is a psychopath/sociopath artificial intelligence; I still have to decide which one it is…"

"Ehy, show some respect! – she answers him again annoyed – I want to remind you that, although the original program comes from you, I re-wrote it by myself, using my brain-patterns to do it, so if you call "her" a psycho or a sociopath, then you are calling that way, me too"

"Well, I can't say that someone who sleeps with Pete Wisdom is normal, so… - as she hits him on the head with a book, that she rise telekinetically, he changes topic, knowing that she just went too far – Ok, sorry. As I was saying… second… I think that I've got it – he tells her massaging his chin – I think I just understood what was going on. I have to go to Washington. - He is more speaking to himself than her just now; he isn't doing it on purpose, but when he realizes that he had just done it, already in his bedroom looking from some clothes to wear, he comes again in the docking station, where Chris still is, her back at the screens, looking at him, and he smiles at his younger "sibling", trying to find the right words – mmm…well, Chris, I… thank you. Hope to see you again soon. I missed you a lot, and… thank you… and… I'm sorry if I woke you up and… and you were in apprehension for me."

"Well, Tony – she says as she is leaving the apartment, half inside half outside – if you'll need me, I'll still be here in New York for a couple of days, than I have to leave for Paris, I still have some business issues on the side of the ocean… but if you'll need me, you know you can call me or just think hard about me and I'll answer you. I'm here to check on you, Tony, and I'm not planning to leave any soon." She said as she enters in the elevator, disappearing from his sight, at crossed arms.

**_A couple of days later, SHIELD helicarrier._**

"**Thank you for coming so quickly, Blackdragon, but right now I'm in real need of a psych, and a real good one, like the ones who learned from Xavier**" Tony approaches Chris – but it's Blackdragon now that she is in her costume and with her mask, he ahs to remind himself of that - on the deck of the helicarrier, and guides her in direction of a cell, where he has to interrogate the so-called Graviton.

"And, considering that Charles is MIA and presumably dead, like Jean, that Emma is nowhere to be find, Rachel is in space and the Cuckoos are too young and you don't trust them too much since they are just kids and haven't already started their trying, you choose me, the only one available at the moment and who works for SHIELD."

"**Well, that too, but I do trust you, Blackdragon, you have to know this**."

"Let's stop to beat around the bush and let's see this guy and if he is telling the truth or not." As they arrive in front of the room, Tony enters, while Chris waits outside, looking from the walls made of clear glass, with crossed arms, showing some concerns, worried. She doesn't know what's exactly is going on, but she knows that it's troubling her big brother, and she knows too well how Tony acts when he is worried…

**"How did you escape the prison transport?" **Tony is at crossed arms, like her, flying in the room, while the criminal is looking at him, a bit in terror.

"Escape? Oh, No, no… I didn't escape. I was… taken…"

**"How"** Simple, yet difficult question.

"Does one measure evil? In deeds? In distance? No one knows but the demons that control us all. I awoke deep in the pit. After you burned me…"

**"That was almost a year ago."**

"Time has no meaning in the pit."

**"What pit?"**

"You know what pit. Under the machine. There I slept, until…until…"

**"Until you woke up in the pumping station" **"Yes" **"Did you kill gadget?" **"The girl?" **"Yes. Did you kill the girl?" **"I liked the girl… she was pretty." **"What happened?" **"I awoke, and it was cold… so cold. I still remember… everything… she was killed by my power, but not by my hand." The man is in deep shock, is shaking, on the verge of crying.

**"Cut the crazy act, Hall! Again… and this time answer me straight, and in English. DID. YOU. KILL. HER?" **Tony takes Graviton for his neck, and brings the "killer" in the air with him, but, as he does this, Chris calls him mentally, a little shocked from "her brother's" violent reaction.

_Tony, wait**, he isn't lying! he really believes in what he is telling you… he didn't kill that girl, or so he believes! **_

"I… I understand now.. you see them too… the dead… the ones you failed… you try to hide it behind your mask, but I can tell… I see them, too. They speak to me as well. You must listen to them. Her hand is on the hands of any man who can see and hear, and yet does nothing…"

_What he is talking about, Tony? He is sure of what he is telling you, he really…_

**"He is insane, and that was almost a total waste of time, but…- **he says as he leaves the room, approached by Blackdragon, Hill and Dugan. **– but there's no sense in what he is telling us, in what he did. I mean, why kill Gadget if Paragon was the bigger threat? He says he didn't kill her, and weird thing is…"**

"That you believe him?" Hill asks looking at the man in the room.

"No, I DO believe him – Blackdragon says turning her head in direction of Hill, removing her mask – he believes in what he is talking about. He doesn't make any sense, but it's the truth. Some pieces are missing, something is incomplete, and something has been erased. I think that someone played with his mind, doing a really good job. I don't think I can find the missing pieces so easily…"

**_Few days later._**

After a reunion in Washington with the CSA, Tony has just come back to the Helicarrier, where, after a talk with Dugan, he runs into his quarters, discovering a presence… an intruder.

"Please, Tony, have a seat." The green haired man tells him, drinking a cup of coffee and taking in his hands the dvd remote.

**"What are doing here, Leonard?"**

"I asked him to exchange a couple of words with you, Tony, that's all. - From the dark of the room, they hear a familiar voice, at least for Tony, who exits from the corner where she previously was; Chris, dressed in a casual but yet elegant way, with a white, blue stripped shirt, unbuttoned for the first 3 buttons, a pair of beige pants, a waistcoat in the same colour and high heeled beige sandals. – I'm worried about you, Tony, we all are, hell, even sub-director Hill is worried about you! Now I'm leaving, but I hope that you'll listen to him." She is exiting from the room, but Tony takes her for an arm, stopping her.

**"No, we said no more secrets, and I meant it. I want you stay. I want you to listen to what I have to say to Leonard."**

**"**if this is what you want, I can't stop you. Close the door and take a seat, Tony, and tell me about it." He switches on the DVD player, and shows him Graviton's interrogatory, where the man was talking about the "ghosts" he claimed to see, as well as Tony.

**"I told you, he was insane."**

**"**Well, not so insane, I checked his mind when I was playing the role of the "human polygraph", and he really believed in what he was saying."

**"**And you believed what he told you about Paragon" Leonard continues Chris' speech, as they are both sitting on the sofa, while Tony is standing in front of a window.

**"there were evidences."**

"And you were correct, but I think that Graviton's analysis on your current psychological state was correct as well. I saw some videos… about your behaviour on the helicarrier and at home during the last few days… there are moments in which you fall into brief dissociative fugue states, as if you're reacting and responding to things that only you can see."

**"Chris? What do you say about it? Are you really controlling me, even here?" **

"Someone else is controlling you here, Tony, and you know too well that if I'm controlling you, it's just because I care about you… and it's not just the security footage, but what I saw by myself, too."

**"Are you two suggesting that I'm allucinating?"**

"I just think that something is wrong, that's all. I'm good in taking care of machines, but I can't tell how people feels, I never red your mind without you being the one to ask me to do it, and I'm not going to do it now."

**"I'm not allucianting."**

"I'd hate to think that the director of SHIELD is suffering from incipient schizophrenia. Now, could you, please, remove your helmet?"

**"Sorry, what?" **Tony is still looking outside the window, at the rain that's falling, but, as he hears what Leonard id asking him, he turns in his direction to face the doctor.

"Tony, please. if you don't want to do it for him, just, please, do it for me, ok? It's been days since the last time I saw your face… " Chris, who's still sitting on the couch, is looking at her feet, on the verge of crying. She doesn't know how long she will still be able to deal with him. As he sees his sister, Tony decides to give up, and, slowly, removes his helmet, without stopping to look at it, and he is shocked to find out that it's at this time that Chris does what she stopped to do a long time ago: putting her hands on her mouth to avoid shouting, she silently cries. "Are you two happy now?" he asks them, with a look of hurt in his eyes.

"Oh, Tony, what are you doing to yourself, man? How long have you been locked up in that tin can?" Says Leonard, frustrated, hungry, as he leaves his seat and goes near Tony, seeing that the one who called him in is still unable to deal, or at least, completely, with what's happening.

"Not long, a week, maybe." He doesn't know, but Chris is aware of that, but this isn't helping the young woman, who's looking at Samson, who tries to put a hand on Tony's shoulder, who replies removing it, hungry, and shouting in their faces. "Who are you trying to protect yourself from, Tony?"

"Gimme a break, Leonard, ok? And save the "MEN-ARE-FROM-PLANET-HULK" crap for your next self-help book. I really don't need this!"

"Than, Tony, I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice. You need rest, and I'm recommending you be placed on two weeks personal leave… effective immediately, during which time you'll report to me for formal psychological assessments."

"What? Leonard, you don't have the authority to do that!" Chris looks in his eyes… she reminds that looks. She reminds her of when he was drunk.

"Check the super-human registration act, Tony, and you'll see it. I believed you knew it, I mean; you were the one who wrote it. one more thing. – he pauses, showing him a briefcase, and, as he says so, he opens it, revealing in its inside a sort of bracelet – it's a psyonic resonance damper. Xavier created it with SHI'AR technology to shut psychics down. It's been adapted to curb your extremis power. It's been designed to be worn on the ankle. Once activated, you'll no longer be able to remotely interface with any digital tech, including your new armor. It's housed in adamantium, you can't crack it, and you even can't x-ray it."

"I wonder who did this" he says as he looks again at Chris, who's unable to do the same with him, knowing too well that look of sufferance he is giving her, something he did in the recent past, too, when he discovered she secretly worked for Xavier.

"Let's say that I refuse to wear it."

"Then, I send you right to 42 for observation.

**_In the evening, at Council Bluffs Airport, _****_Nebraska_****_._**

"Nice place for a vacation, Tony - As he enters in t hangar, Tony finds what was looking for, and someone else, someone who's in the mood to see these days, and so, he decides to goes on, and, without looks at her, he opens what he was waiting for – yes, I'm fine, me too, I'm glad you asked." She sarcastically answers, as she goes near him to look at the inside of the big wooden box. He is still not paying attention to her, on purpose, when he starts to speak with Dugan.

"Well, since you want to know, I followed your evidences, and the transmissions. Your line isn't as secure as you think.

"Ok, then, check another subject, see if it contains that sequence of DNA…… mine" When he closes the communication, he has just finished to unpack the box, revealing in its inside his old armor… his first one.

"Genial. Since you can't use the last technology, you use the old ones… - she looks at her brother, putting on his old "gloves" and helmet – Tony, I found in the cache of your armor what you were working on. Why didn't you tell me? I mean, I knew you weren't going mad, but this way it's all different and…!" he stops her. He isn't hurt by her, because she created that thing, but because she didn't trust him. Well, he didn't trust her, so it's fair, right?

"Chris, leave, now. I don't need you around. Don't interfere, ok?" as he says so, a masked man attacks him, and they starts to fight, a fight not fair, because the man is – from what Tony is thinking – extremis enchanted. They fight for long, and a certain point the man even makes explode the car that Tony rented… the flames are so potent that Chris, who's still doing as Tony asked her, has to create a kinetic shield to protect herself from the fire. But it's not over, not yet, because he even manages to remove Tony's gloves and helmet; but is at this point that the Iron man decides to stop to play, and starts to use the brute force, giving him one, two, three fists… and it's a this point that, apparently from nowhere, Samson and Captain Ultra distract him, trying to give Tony- who's putting on his armour, entirely this time – a little advantage, that he uses totally when he finally puts the man down, while Chris is using her kinetic force-field to stop the fire from destroying the entire airport.

**_Later._**

"You all posses the same gene, right?" Leonard, Captain Ultra and Chris are inside the Initiative Field office in Omaha, discussing with Tony about his recent findings.

"Yes, we all do, and it's a natural resistance to the violent effects of the extremis metamorphosis."

"But what monster would test extremis on a mentally disabled child?"

"Only one, Leonard."

"Who?"

"If I answered, you'd have to lock me up."

"if it can help you, I controlled the data twice with Fry, and I arrived at your same conclusion. Plus, when I controlled graviton's mind I knew he weren't mad, as well as you."

"Well, nice to know that you believe me – he sarcastically says, looking at his sister – so, let's see… major psychotic bad guy, with 10 rings of power, possibly extremis enchanted… and me, facing him in my old armor. Gee, people, what do you think that we are going to do?"

"Sorry Tony, we can't do that. It was pre-programmed to remain locked for 2 weeks. No one can disable or circumvent it, SHIELD techs did some changes so that even Chris can't do that. "

"People will die because I cannot access to my full potential, Len!"

"People will die because a potentially schizophrenic refuses treatment!"

"Tony, you wear your armor for weeks at a time, you speak with people who's there! How do call it, Tony? Does it sound healthy?"

"I'm not crazy! I know I see… ghosts, but I know they aren't… it's like a dream, but I'm awake, and I know it. and they.. they talk to me… Sal, Gadget, Cap… the ones who died…and they tell me things… information about how to look at the evidence, point me in the right direction. That's all."

"Interesting…"

"You know what I think about my brother, Samson. And you know that, after he run away, I controlled the data and I came to my conclusion, but maybe you have a better one…"

"I think that, thanks to extremis, you are processing information at light speed, but your normal thought process is functioning at a normal human level, so your brain is storing the information it can't process in your unconscious. your hallucination are information too important, too urgent to remain out of play…you are outing the data into the same place we normally fill up with guilt, pain and regret… we all have demons, and your subconscious is using them as messenger."

"Well, it makes sense, but there still a thing I don't understand…"

**_Washington_****_._**

"Extremis was meant to be the catalyst of a new super-soldier program. – Kooning starts to tell, facing Samson, the armoured Tony and the hidden astral form of Blackdragon – we sent our REPS to a dozen of our private sector contractors. We decided to go with Prometheus Genetech, out of Omaha. They had everything, the only missing piece was the creator of extremis, Maya Hansen. She accepted, and we faked her dead in Paris, giving her to Prometheus, but now things have gone too far…"

_He isn't lying, Tony. It's the truth. _

**"Who's in charge?"**

"Tem Borjign…"

**"** **Never heard of him. Mongolian?"**

Chinese. Defected to Hong Kong decades ago. Made a killing playing the market. Acquired Prometheus little over a year ago. Strong background in biotech, impeccable credentials."

**"I bet, the best credential money can buy. Some clown nobody's ever heard of pops of ****Mongolia****, takes over obscure domestic biotech company in the heartland, spreads around enough cash to buy support on the hill and scores a major defense department contract! You know what's wrong with this picture, Kooning? No? Then I'll clarify things fro you. You bunded the services of a bio-engineering genius, millions of tax-founded dollars, and the extremis enhancicle, and handed them over the most notorious megalomaniacal psychopath to ever drawn breath and walk on two legs… THE MANDARIN!" **

**_New York_****_, a couple of days later._**

_You can't imagine what you're doing, Tony. Samson is speaking in front of the United nations and is questioning Hosborn's sanity, just to prove that you are, indeed, sane. _

"What the hell… -Tony, still in his office on the helicarrier, turns his head around, in search of the metal voice he just heard, Chris' one, when he finds her laying against the door, wearing again one of he suites – light coloured shirt, preferably white, light and matching coloured pants and waistcoat, high heeled shoes, is standing in front of him, with crossed arms. – I always forget, you are that good, my little miss perfection."

"And I used to be a spy myself And I have few friends who worked here. It's better if you get a better security, this time it's be, but the next one…" When he goes near her, the only answer she gives him is a slap on the face, that Tony massages for a while to understand if it's real or not, since she never did something like that in the past.

"How you dare – she tells him with her real voice, crying – ho did you dare to do such a thing to me Tony? – she continues, as she starts to hit with her closed fists his chest – you could die, Tony! Do you get it? You could die… and I'd lost you too, after mum and dad! Why did you this to me? Do you believe that I liked to create that thing you wear? Damn Tony, you are the smartest man alive, you know why I had to create it! Charles thought me to create all the kind of countermeasures, there's a "Xavier protocol" even against me! And I wanted to protect you against that thing… I didn't want to see you dead for the extremis!"

When Chris finally stops to hit him, Tony embraces his little sister, hugging her, caressing her back and her curly hair.

"Chris, stop it. you know it was the only thing to do. besides, I'm like Bruce Willis, Die Hard." Chris doesn't stop to cry, just a little, and neither she does when he releases her, ready to go to face the Counsel.

**_New York_****_, a few days later._**

Tony just woke up after days in his bedroom in New York, to find Dugan sitting near him, giving him, as he opens the curtains and let the sun in, the latest news. Tony is now sitting in his bed, a little sarcastic, happy for things just went and for have his foot, the one he amputated to remove the anklet, whole again. "the UN and the CSA dropped all charges, sir…"

"What a surprise…"

"Reinstated you as director…"

"Whopee!"

"China wants to give a medal."

"Yeah, well, of course they do... I saved the 97.5 of the human race and proved everyone who doubted me wrong and I kicked the living crap out of the Mandarin. I feel great, Timothy."

"Well, it seems that Dugan forgot to tell you that your step-sister wanted you dead, since you **_almost_** killed her **_again_**, making me at least 10 years older."

"What I ma supposed to answer to this, Chris?- Tony says as she approaches him, hugging her big brother, and giving him a slap on the shoulders, as Dugan leaves the room, leaving the "siblings" alone – hey, I was sick! Be gentle!"

"You scared the hell out of me, bastard! I'm tired to be the one who over thinks, can't you just start to act like me for a while?" she looks at him, annoyed and with a bit of indignity.

"Oh, yes, because you thought a lot before to sleep with Pete Wisdom, right? – he does her an evil, sarcastic and malicious grin – oh, sorry, I have to stop to act like an over-protective brother because you are an adult woman, right?"

"Tony, please, be serious for an instant. I've been really worried for you in the last weeks… and I'm really tired of you keeping secrets from me. I know, I haven't been myself too much in the last few moths, I get it, really, but you'll agree with me that the last few moths have been very… rough, for everyone, yes, but over all for me. In the last couple of years too much happened and I needed… I dunno – she says as she goes to seat on his bed, like she did when she was a child and had a nightmare, embracing her knees, like in foetal position, starting to cry as desperate as never before, while Tony goes near her an embraces her for the shoulders, putting his head on her one– I just wanted to be distant, for a while, and not only physically. I lied to you, Tony, I'm so sorry, I've never had the intention to hurt you… and I'm sorry if I slap you in the face, but I was trying to find a way to hate you… an excuse to be distant from you. We all did mistakes, Tony, not only you. And I'm sorry… I know I did some horrible mistakes, I even started to tell myself that I was doing it for your own good, that it wasn't wrong I'm sorry… I'm sorry if I spied on you… I know it was wrong, I didn't have to implant that file-safe program inside your armors, but I'm sorry…"

"Chris, you **_do_** implanted that file-safe program for my good, I know you. You are a good person. You try your best to seem strong and distant, but you care for your family and friends a lot. I know you, I've always had, remember that we are the only survivor of our family… our families. This is the reason we've always tried to be close and always tried to convict the other one to stay away. Chris, there's a thing I need to tell you, something I wasn't sure about but that I know I had to confess you. You need to know. I need you to know.– He looks at his sister, who's staring at him, worried about what secret he will tell her this time, while he knows that now he has to do it, it's now or never, that she just opened herself up with him, and that he has to do the same, that he has to trust someone. And that, right here right now, he does trust her. – I'm not sure who I do trust, who I **_can_** trust, but I need to tell someone… I need to tell you… we've been infiltrating…"

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you next weekend with the** a new chapter of the Balckdragon saga... see you with "ROAD TO THE SECRET INVASION!"  
**


	12. Road to the Secret Invasion Skrulls!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Chracters (altough I'd like it) but Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

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Road to the Secret Invasion

**_Stark_****_Towers_****_. Tony Stark's private apartment._**

"What… what do you mean with…" Chris can't believe it's really happening, she can't believe what he is telling her… she stares at her brother, still sitting on the bed, while Tony leaves his position and goes at the window, feeling again, after days, the sunlight on his skin.

"I know what I said, Chris, and you have to believe me. I've the evidences, it's not something that I'm just telling you. Let me show you what I mean." As he comes back near her, he offers to his younger sister his right hand; it's not a simple gesture, Tony knows Chris too well, and he knows better than anybody else that, while reading a mind, she preferably needs a physical contact, to increase the quantity and quality of data, their transmission, and even to manage the pain… for both she and the person she is reading; he already felt this, when she reads minds in these way, it's like a upload/download process, at high speed… light speed. A little reluctant and hesitating, she finally decides to face the reality, and takes his brother's protective hand in her one… and for what seems an eternity, the world turns black around Tony Stark.

_"Where… where are we, Chris?" _Tony looks around, finding himself with his latest armor, but without the helmet, flying in the void, only darkness all around him. He feels nothing at all, it's like everything is without meaning, infinite… he isn't even sure if he is really listening to his own voice or not.

_"Welcome to my personal psych-conference room, Tony. I took you on the astral plane with me, here we'll be able to see what you'll tell me, as it was in 3-D and at 360°, like we were there. -_Suddenly, Tony turns to look at his back and, where once there was no one, where there was the darkness, he starts to see a light… it's small at the beginning, but, as it comes closer and closer, it becomes bigger, and, once it's in front of him, the light fills everything, just after taking the shape of the body of his sister, dressed not in her usual way, but neither with her costume; she is wearing a version of the leather/Kevlar uniforms that all the X-Men started to wear, after Xavier told the world he was a mutant; he remembers that, for a brief time, Chris wore that uniform– not exactly the one the teachers at the school wore, but one of those ones that Storm's group had, the one they gave her when they- and not him – found her, almost dead, with her clothes destroyed by the destruction -under the ruins of Genosha – a dark blue tube top with a red circled "x", leather pants with the same symbol on her hips, a symbol that was on the black jacket, too, and a pair of black boots – but, additionally, with the adamatium mask she isn't wearing here on the astral plane. _Tony, show me everything."_

_"I'll show you what I know and few data that I downloaded from SHIELD during the last few weeks… I'll start not from the beginning, but from the end, from the most recent events that make me believe that we've been infiltrating…."_

As they speak, they find themselves in the same apartment they were in, but few weeks before…it's night, and it's storming on the outside. Tony's asleep, as Spider-Woman enters in his room, with a dead body in her hands… the body of a skrull posing as Elektra; They sees Jessica explains that the Rebel Avengers had travelled to Tokyo to rescue Maya Lopez aka Ronin, aka Echo, who'd been send to Japan to track Down the Silver Samurai, and, once done, she decided to keep tabs on the Japanese underworld, and, doing it, she realized that Elektra had took control of the Hand, the most organised gang of mystical ninja criminals… overmatched by them, the S.A. went to Japan to help her, and, during the fight, Maya slew Elektra… that turned into a skrull. And not any skrull, because this had just proven that they can infiltrate and control even the Hand without anyone being the wiser... even Wolverine's senses couldn't sniff this out, nor Strange's magic. So, if they can infiltrate the hand… what about Avengers, Initiative, government, military… SHEILD? "_Very likely, someone of the Avengers is a skrull… no, not likely, definitely. And with this explosive information, I did what I thought was the best move… I went , with the body,to the Illuminati, or so it's how that…"_

_"I know who the illuminate are, Tony – _she stops him, as they are now in another place, in another time _– but Charles told me that, after the War.. and the Hulk… they all had a certain level of reservation about you and the life of the group."_

_"When we first come together, I don't know if Charles had tell you, but it was after the skrull/kree war… perhaps some chickens have come home to roost because of the objectives we arrogantly pursed that day and.."_

_"this is a story for another day, Tony. I need you to focus on the problem, and show me what matters the most." _Chris seems very distant, as she speaks with him; but, as Tony looks at her, he understands that she is doing it just in order to control the pain she is feeling. Now they see the meeting, Stranger remembering that the skrull has evaded everything that have, Charles and Namor suggesting that it could be an isolated incident, as Tony suggests that it could be the perfect time for an infiltration, to manipulate the events for their purposes – like the illuminate did too, Chris can't avoid to think – and, as they continue to debate…. "_It was Black Bolt, Chris, do you get it? the king of the inhumans... a skrull. He was in our midst, and we didn't know fro how long… we fought… he wanted our blood… and he had all or powers. He told us **as it was written, it is now done**.It seemed so… like religious fundamentalism. And, before we could take any information from him, first, Namor was finally able to kill him, and then, other two skrulls appeared, with the powers of the X-Men and of the Avengers… and, after the battle, when we found out that Black Bolt's body was gone… we realised that they had reached their goal. The other Illuminati walked away. And I can't blame them."_

_"This is where we are now, Tony. I asked you to show me this, and you did it. – _the battlefield is now gone, they are again in the darkness – _now, to know what to do next, we need to know how it all started."_

_"The skrulls are a hundred of thousands of years old civilisation, that hails originally from the planet Skrullos, Andromeda Galaxy. They were imperialists, and, once conquered thousands of world, moved the seat to Tarnax 4, the throneworld. From there, they decide that Heart was in their destiny. Basically, they are highly recognisable, but they could mimic anything they wanted… and now, no one can imagine how they are able to shape-shifter… the first skrull appeared in the old west;Kid Colt and Arizona Girl destroyed a city made of skrulls. Decades later, they tried to kidnap earthlings; years later, they tried to inflame the tensions between US and Russia during Cold War, but we aren't sure about it, because we don't have too many data about the alien presence on the planet for what concerns those years, but it seems that we can assume that those weren't real invasions, just isolated incidents led by small groups." _

_"Looking back in history, it seems that – _she continues his brother's speech, as they are now witnessing the birth of the FF – _it all really begun here. After the FF'S birth, the contacts became more… intense, the data more reliable. Reed can really take good notes, if you can interpret them."_

_"Yes, in fact, _- he continues, as they are now seeing someone posing as the FF attacking civilians –_the FF had almost all the run-ins with the skrulls. First they tried to embarrass the FF, attacking civilians posing as them. Then, Reed and the others stopped an invasion, with a… well, let's say that he used a ridiculous __escamotage__. When the Empire understood what had happened, they started to look for revenge, concentrating all their efforts to create a weapon able to defeat the FF, what they saw as Hearth's only defensive force…."_

Again, the landscape changes in front of them, like before, and now they are in Times Square. "_it's the day the Super-Skrull arrived on the planet, and claimed it to be under the power of the Empire, I remember it. I was still living here at the time; it was shortly before I graduated from MIT. we had luck, because he toyed with the FF long enough to allow Reed to find a way to stop him… but what shocked my the most was what happened at Sue and Johnny's father… the Skrull kidnapped him, and send him back on the planet with a bomb attached to his body… he died to save many lives. He was a brave man…"_ As she finish to speak, a tear leaves her eyes, while, with crossed arms, she starts to looks at her feet, feeling sad and more… she knows Sue and Johnny thanks to Reed, who's been her teacher and she has worked for, and she knows how badly they had been hurt for they dad's death.

"_Shortly after, the Super Skrull had been exiled on Heart by the Emperor for his failures, and, along the way, he battled even Thor and Captain Marvel, expanding his reach beyond the F4. –_ now, the scene they are seeing is a battle between the Super Skrull and Thor – _Ok, coming back to the Skrulls… Tell me Chris, do you know how the Kree/Skrull begun, eons ago?" _

_"I have to admit that it's something beyond my knowledge, but I feel like you are going to tell me…" _As they start to speak again, they are again in the darkness, alone, face to face.

"_When they arrived on Hala, the planet was inhabited by a clan of Kree and the Cotati, plant-like creatures. To decide who was worthy to receive their advanced knowledge, the Skrulls ferried representatives of both races, sending them to the moon and… let's say that they made a skrull version of Survivor. The Kree lost the challenge to the Cotati, and they did not take losing well. The barbaric Kree led an assault on the Skrull delegation supervising the contest. Using the secrets gleaned by the Skrull technology, and emboldened by their domination on the Skrulls, the Kree built up gleaming cities based on Skrull tech. decades later, they added further insult to the Skrulls by launching an attack on their homeworld without warning, thus igniting a fierce rivalry that inevitably forced the Skrulls to adapt into their blood-thirsty, warlike ways. This Kree/Skrull war would last foe eons and claim billions of lives. This rivalry still exists to this day, but it has been a war that has always been contained largely to their respective galaxies, until recently, when it finally come to menace pour planet; see, the Earth is a strategic value, since it's almost in the middle between Andromeda and the Kree Galaxy. So, when the war arrived at lour door, - _he continues as again the images in front of them change, taking the forms of the days of said war - _ with the help of captain Marvel, himself a Kree, we repelled the machinations of both sides to gain control of the planet… during the WAR, Mar-Vell became a captive of the Skrulls, Rick Jones was lulled into being a pawn of the Kree's supreme intelligence, paying a deeply personal price for his heroism. Thor, Vision and Captain America, the Avengers clashed with the flagship of a Skrull Armada, where we discovered that they had launched an atomic bomb at Earth. As Ronan the Accuser led the Kree Armada towards the final battle on the planet, we tried our best to stop the bomb; the war resolved itself when the body of Rick Jones unleashed a bolt of mind energy, that froze both Kree and Skrulls, costing the man almost his life. The war was over, but just for now, and I knew it. I knew we didn't pass the "test" to well; in that moment, I understood I had to do something about it."_

_"I think I get it, Tony. _– the landscape changes again, and now they are witnessing the Illuminati's first encounter; Walking in the room, Chris, under Tony's eyes, goes near the persons that had a crucial importance in her life (Tony, Charles and even Reed) and asks herself how it happened. How they found the courage to lie to the most important persons of their lives, how they could think to perform this crusade, how arrogant it was for them to think they could be the puppet-masters of the world - _you thought the world needed more than good but lucky superheroes, it needed an elite fraternity of super humans, sharing information in a common cause. You thought it could have prevented the war from arriving here, you thought we needed the Illuminati and you gave us it. You assembled the most powerful being of the planet and you secretly started to shape the world around you."_

_"I thought it was for the greater good, Chris, I didn't think that…._- as he understands that this isn't what she wants to know, that she doesn't want to ear it, he comes back to the main topic – _our first mission was to Throneworld, we wanted to be clear with the Skrulls that we weren't going to accept other intrusions. But our escape planet didn't work as planned. They captured, tortured and studied us all…"_

_"I've never heard of it, Tony. Charles never confessed me of this…- _she asks him, as she tries her best to look in another direction, to avoid seeing her brother tortured by the green aliens_ - Do you think the impostor took Black Bolt's place that time?"_

_"It's too scary to think about it, but looking back at this engagement, how did the Skrulls react to the ending of the war? To the message we had sent to them, in person and with maximum violence? what were their next moves?"_

_"I hear that a Skrull was witnessing Dark __Phoenix__'s trial, on the blue area of the moon…"_

_"That's right. Empress R'Kill killed her husband, Dorrek VII, and took his place, and send a Skrull, Raksor, to monitor the battle… but he found a fellow monitor, a Kree, Bel-Damn, and they started to fight. The empress and the Supreme Intelligence decided that those battle was meant to end the war between the two races. After months, Uatu stopped them, sending them in separate ways, in peace. This novel approach to settling their differences may have helped in the short run, but sooner things changed for the whole universe- _he continues, as things change again, and this time, what they see, is Galactus, consuming a planet, and the sweet face of a Skrull woman – _when Galactus consumed Throneworld, Princess Anelle, one of the few who wanted peace, died with her people and her mother. It was a shame. The Throneworld destroyed and the centralized power gone, the empire fell into a Civil War. At the end, the faction led by Empress S'Byll had the most powerful influence; she even brought peace with the Kree and restored the powers of her fellow Skrull. Year later, a Skrull, posing as the head counsellor to Empress Lilandra, the empr…"_

_"Former X-men here. I know who Lilandra is, she married Charles Xavier, the head of the X-men, my ex group, and, for your knowledge, I even met her few times." – _

_"Ok,Sorry, I had to assume that you knew her… I mean, if you say Shi'ar, you say X-Men. So, as I was telling you, there was a Skrull, posing as Lilandra's counsel, Araki…"_

For an instant, Chris looks at the soil, crossed arms, sad, and then, starts to cry, as an image appears in front of them… the image of a family slaughtered, and a red head girl on the soil, with a creature marking her, and other alien creature – a Skrull too- who are fighting the X-men. "Word is, it had been Araki to order the attack to the Grey Family. They killed all the members of Ray's family, on her mother's side, to avoid the birth of a new host for the phoenix force… they marked her with the "death mark" to be able to find her everywhere in the universe… the X-men tried their best, but weren't able to stop this before it was too late… and I wasn't there, to help one of my best friends…"

As the image changes again, Tony looks at Chris, not knowing what to say or to add, and so he continues his speech._ "The Skrull wanted to convince her to destroy the Kree… we tried to stop the bomb, but weren't able to. This time, the Skrulls won. With their enemy decimated, the Skrulls decided to try to gain control of our planet again; we'd have hints of pockets of Skrull infiltration. And don't forget Lija, who posed for months as Alicia Masters, and even married Johnny Storm… but it's obvious that you know, it, right?"_

_"she disappeared after your "deaths", if I'm not wrong."_

_"Yes, we don't now, at today, what happened to her later. We know of a Skrull who posed as Cap, but it was an isolated incident, like many others. And here we are again to the present… to the Skrulls we know about."_

_"This one is John the Skrull. He is an agent of MI-13, he works in Pete's division of "weird events". He investigated martian landings and faerie attacks. He claims to be part of an invasion from 1963, that tried to take control of the pop culture. After that, he switched side and now is one of the most valuable assets in Pete's team.-_Chris turns to looks at her brother, and, as she still gives a sight to the scene of a mission from MI-13, notices the glances he is giving her, and that evil and malicious smile – _what do you have now?"_

_"I was going to say the same things, but calling him "Wisdom" instead of "Pete"; you know, although I met him few times, after SHIELD and British Government signed an agreement after the SHRA, we're not so close as you two are. Tough guy, or so he looks like, your Pete. – _as the background change again, he sees that now she is the one who gives him the glances-_ Oh, sorry sis, I'll stop to call your supposed boyfriend "your Pete", if you feel uncomfortable. Back to focus… We have a Skrull, Jazinda, who works with She-Hulk. And now the biggest problem of all: Teddy Altman, codename Hulking… a Skrull. The Super-Skrull, our old pal, the one and only original with the name Kl'Rt, paid a visit to Teddy's home, and exposed the woman he thought was his mother to be the nanny for his real mother, Princess Anelle, ordered by the empress to defend the life of the child at all costs… and the cost had been her life. As you can imagine, he was in shock; continually referring to the boy as a "hatchling", he provided Teddy testimony to his lineage… you seen, things are a little complicated, because, during the Kree/Skrull war, the S.K. was ordered to kidnap the avengers,; he hoped, in doing so, to gain the hand of the princess, but the emperor feared for his throne, and put him in prison, where he overheard that the princess had given birth to a male child, who, for the identity of his father, was condemned to death. The empress wanted him safe, so she sent him on hearth, to reunite with his father… guess who - The Kree Born Mar-Vell, captain Marvel, who died before to meet the child."_

_"I have to stop to watch "The bold and the beautiful, this is a way more interesting. Someone must tell the writers to give a look at this, they could learn something interesting."_

_"Glad to hear that you are still sarcastic, but wait for the next. Now, you could imagine what happens next. KL'RT told the Skrulls he had gained possession of the baby, the chosen one meant to reunite the Skrull worlds. Of course, at this point, the Kree knew of Teddy's existence, too, and when they arrived, Teddy had a speech about how, being Cap marvel's son is he heir to a great Kree destiny."_

_"So, Teddy Altman is indeed the half-breed son of princess Anelle and of Captain Marvel. Half Kree, half Skrull. He could be the ultimate weapon in the war, or the one to put an end to the conflict with the peace once and for all…"_

_"Well, as I was saying before you stopped me again, at this point, the Avengers arrived, to stop the battle for the possession of a young and confused boy… with our surprise, was KL'RT to save the battle. Concerned that his future emperor could die in the crossfire, he switched identity with Teddy; the Super Skrull pretended to be Teddy, and agreed to spend 6 moths with the Kree and other six moths with the Skrulls. The aliens went separate ways, KL'RT followed the Kree, and Teddy remained on Earth. The fate of the Super-Skrull, however, would take him far afield from saviour of merely Teddy… he was called to be saviour of his own galaxy, as he was called to stand against the Annihilation wave… After Annihlus attached Andromeda, millions of Skrulls began to fall, and the Super Skrull was the only one able to stop him. Once done so, he even helped his enemy, Ronan the Accuser, to gain control again of planet Hala."_

_"If the annihilation wave could bring together such hated foes, it must have been some kind of a threat…"_

_"Yeah. Well, at the end, despite their efforts, dozens of worlds had fallen, and the boundaries of the Andromeda and Kree galaxies were on fire, with disorder and violence; being such an oasis of peace and calm, earth is still a fruitful target. Here we are. Earth is a target, and her champions walk away from each other, just when the crisis reaches its climax. Despite our powers, our most lethal weapon was the trust we had for each other… to back each other up…to unite in a common cause…to risk life, limb and sanity to save the day…to depend on help to arrive when you need it. And now, who do I trust? Who do you trust? Nobody, and that's how the Skrulls will beat us."_

When they come back to the reality, Chris is still on the bed, as in trance, and Tony is at her side. She looks outside the window, thinking deeply, crossing her arms, reflecting at closed eyes.

"You think that maybe I am Skrull, and that, maybe, someone that you know it's one of them, too." Tony asks as he sits, at crossed legs, near her.

"I was thinking that maybe there's someone that could help us, but Charles Xavier was the only one who knew how to contact them, and nobody knows where he is at the moment…"

"Someone who could help us against the Skrull… what do you mean?"

"all the empires have their secrets, Tony. The Shi'Ar never admitted that one of them was able to gain control of the Phoenix… and the great secret of the Skrull Empire is that they hadn't the natural evolutionary dead end. Some Skrull were born with natural super-powers, they were mutants… the X-men of the Skrulls, who tried to kills them, eliminating the babies with anomalies in name of the eugenetic. And as Charles led the X-men years ago, he led Cadre K, too."

"If they are as powerful as you seems to think, then just prey that they are still on our side…" 

* * *

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you in two weekends with the** a new chapter of the Balckdragon saga... **

I had to change from a chapter for week into a chapter each two weeks, because i'm too near the Official issues... but, if you want, you can sometimes go to www.blackdragontales.; ii'll re-post this fan-fiction, and a new one, called "Genosha: Rebirth", but the site is stillunder construction, it will be ready in, at least, a week. Hope to see you soon, glad you read it, lizzie.


	13. The Initiative: Graduation Day

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

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**_WELCOME TO THE INITIATIVE_**

**_Stamford_****_, Initiative's Headquarter._**

At the Initiative Headquarter, it's a dark day, maybe the darkest one. Today, it was the day that the boy code-named Trauma was supposed going to find his final rest, after having find death thanks to the hands of the clone of one of his former "classmates", but Trauma was "able" to avoid it, thanks to a sadden and unforeseen resurrection, but it's the day that the men who cause his death - and other ones as well- will be finding judgment. Dani Moonstar, former mutant knows as Mirage, is looking through a glass to 3 men, 3 men who where supposed to protect and teach said boy, and failed; she was his teacher, once, too. She had promised him to help him, but what she did wasn't enough, because he was dead, he was dead because of the chain of lies of those men… men who are in trial, now, judged by Iron Man, Miss Marvel, Valerie Cooper and Senator Woodman. Her blood is boiling inside her veins, part of her thinks that, if she still could use her powers, she were using them right now on the ones like Gyrich or Yellowjacket… the one she had the best opinion on, but maybe the worst of them all. Silent tears escape from her eyes, as the Native American girl is already leaving, not able to continue to look at the scene.

"It's not your fault, Dani, you did the best you could do for this boy. Just be glad that his power allowed him to come back." Once she turns her head in direction of a voice, she sees, lying against the observation glass-window, a person she has already met a lot of times, especially during her time as teacher at the institute, a time that seems so far… Dani tries her best to convince the tears to come back from wherever they were from, and look at the brown-head in front of her, with an expression of rage and almost… hate.

"This time he was lucky, but you can't know what will happen the next one, and he could be not so lucky, not everybody have the power to come back from the death. Chris, It's not up to you to decide if what I did was enough or not, and then – she pauses, going near the younger Stark – don't you dare to read my mind never again"

Chris looks at Dani with sadness in her eyes, looking at her feet for a while, not knowing how to answer, but, once she raises her head again, she does it, not with rage, hate or a bad feel, but just a little sad. "I wasn't reading your mind, Dani, really, and I wasn't telling you how you have to feel, I know how you could feel right now, so I thought that maybe… - this time it's Chris the one who have to pause, struggling to find the words- you know, Dani, never mind. It was good to see you again, although I'd prefer it had been in another situation…"

Dani gasps, almost jumping where she is, when it suddenly comes in her mind who, after all, she is speaking with, and what she came through during the last year and that, maybe, she really knows how she could feel at the moment. With a little sad smile, Dani puts a hand on the right shoulder of the girl, who's looking at the trial, with an evil and sadistic smile, and turns her head to look at the former X-Girl.

"It seems that you are enjoying the show…"

"Just when is Tony, Carol or Cooper the one to ask questions to Gyrich and he doesn't give answers. – She pauses, looking at the man she just mentioned, full of rage, tempted to hurt hi with her mind – I can't believe that there's someone with the courage to put him in charge of this place."

"The bastard is kicking me off base. To be honest, I don't mind, I don't belong here, what they have done to these kids…"

"Well, knowing Gyrich, I'm not surprised he did what he did. Don't forget that he was one of the first to fully support Zero Tolerance… He sees us just in two ways: menaces and weapons of mass-destruction. If the words that are going on inside Shield are true, he even had the courage to assemble a black ops team and than use them as his personal toy…" Chris can't avoid gritting her teeth and fists, remembering those days, the darkest hour of mutankind… when the government, thanks to Bastion and Co, decided that they were menace, and that they had to be stopped at any cost. It was the day when sentinels started to fly in the sky again, ready to capture, or, better, kill, all the mutants. And Gyrich believed it was the best thing to do. She can't forget what he told and did, during the years, she has always felt uncomfortable, being around him, or even knowing that he was among the ones she respected, trusted and loved the most… and now, he had conspired with Hank, to cover-up the death of a cadet, and he agreed – or maybe he was the one to suggest it, she doesn't know, but knowing him, it could easily be possible – to clone said cadet, and that led to other deaths…

"Well, I don't think that a man with the mind of a psycho mass murder was the best choice for this place, but you know what they say, right? Don't judge a book from its cover or a man from his past. – Dani pauses, looking at the trail that's going on – did you have any news from the others?"

It takes her a while to understand exactly what her "team-mate" exactly means, but then she gets it, and, lying again against the glass, hands in her pockets, she faces Dani, with a concerned expression. "Still no news about Charles, Hank is still working on to find where his body went. The X-man are disbanded, and it seems that Scott and Emma don't have the intention to reunite the group or rebuilt the institute, or at least this is what they told, and, for what concerns me, the less I know, the better it is, so I'll not have to lie to Director Stark when he will ask me what happened to he mutants and what to do with them, although - again, she pauses, seeing that now a girl, one of the cadets, is inside the room of the trial – I think they did a mistake, again. The fact is, when the decimation happened, they simply abandoned the former mutants to their destiny, without helping them. And now, instead of find a new way for helping Charles' dream to come true, they turn their backs to the mutants, and abandon who needs them…"

"Most of the kids don't' have a place to come back, and most of them have a life already destroyed, thanks to them. I know that they did what they did with all the best intentions, but they took the children and, instead to teach them a way to protect themselves, they just taught them to feel fear every instant of their lives. Most of the kids are already gone to hell, and literally, to find Illyana… I can't believe she is back."

"Well, I assume that you went to hell too and maybe more than once. And don't forget about your connections with the Asgardians… speaking of which, I saw Thor-Girl call you "Mistress Moonstar", a while ago…"

"I already asked her to stop to call me that way. My connection whit Asgard is gone, I stopped to be a Valkyrie when the old Asgard fell, and it seems that I don't have any bond with the new one that surfaced in Oklahoma. I'm really thinking about coming back home, once and for all, although…" the Native girl stops to speak, and looks at the one in front of her, with a semi-evil grin, trying to look in the opposite direction, to increase the curiosity of the so-called agent of SHIELD codenamed Blackdragon.

"Although what, Dani? You know that I'm deadly curios!" the sadness and the rage is now gone, the girls are just having fun with each other, enjoying the company, and it's quite clear from Chris' exited tone of voice, and her smile. After all, they've been quite lucky, today nobody has been buried, not here, at least.

"Well, Berto and the others call me last week, we are planning a sort of reunion, we want to see each other, and speak about the more and the less, and then decide about the future."

"I'm a little worried for DaCosta, you know? Being part of the Hellfire club never did any good for its members. Most of them are dead, and the ones who aren't, are criminals."

"I heard that you and your brother are members, too, and he is alive and a good guy, and you aren't so bad, although you could be a little better."

_The kid was a nobody! You have got the blood of Captain __America__ on your hands, Stark!_

"the Bastard doesn't know that he is just making things worse, speaking about Cap with Tony?" Chris is more speaking between herself, with a sentence that it's a mix between a question and an affirmation, hearing quite clearly Tony and Gyrich argue from the observation room; they are shouting so loud that there's no need of any loudspeakers or even of her mind. _Probably even Pepper from __New York__ can hears them…_

**_That's it, Gyrich. No matter what else happens at this tribunal, I can promise one thing, that you are gone!_**

_Me? I've got connections with the CSA, ONE, SAF and even the White House! If anyone's gone, it's you! You, War Machine and your Shield interference! C'mon, let's call the Oval Office and let's see who's gone!_

"That man is really making things worse…I already see how things will end – she says as she smiles evilly, knowing to well that Tony will not let that man be the "leader" at Stamford, already tasting the victory, although it's not hers, but of her brother's one, but she hates too much Gyrich to not be happy about his loss - Well, like I was saying, Tony is a member, like me too, but we aren't and never been inside the Inner Circle, and it's what is troubling me now; being corrupted by the power is so easy, that you can't imagine how many people with more strength fell… Roberto is a good boy, but, when you have so much power, and you are with the wrong persons, getting lost it's not so difficult. – again, Chris, stops, but this time they are both walking away from the observation room, ready to left this part of the building –I'm sorry for what happened during the last time, Dani, you don't deserve that. And I'm not speaking about the decimation, not that you deserved being de-powered, I mean that Emma didn't have the right to kick you off from the school. You could still do so much good for the kids, and there have been more than one human teacher at the school, so what was the problem?"

"The problem is that Emma is a bitch, and Scott loves too much sleeping with her, although said bitch tells that she is with her because he really loves her and not her body, because he couldn't stay with a bitch, even if she was beautiful, if he wasn't in love with her. Hell, he even doesn't look so worried about the fact that his brother Alex and his "daughter" are only God Knows where in Space, dealing with his psychopathic younger brother, and that his only son is who knows where in time, followed by a even more psychopathic Bishop…"

"Well, I stopped to be concerned about what Scott and Emma do a long time ago, Dani, follow my example and do what I do. You want to worry about someone? Let it be someone who's worth it."

"Oh, with someone who's worth it, I guess you mean Pete Wisdom, right? I heard you're quite intimate." Chris looks at Dani, who's answering at her dubious expression with a malicious – but not so kind – smile.

"I didn't ask you about your relationship with Justin Pierce, so, to repay me, you didn't have to ask me about my relationship with Pete – the two girls are in front of each other, and what a moment before was a smile and an expression a little malicious printed on Chris' face, is now gone, as they are both embarrassed, knowing too well what happened in the past between Pete and Dani, and what she thinks of him – Listen Dani, I know what you think about him, but…"

"But? There's no "buts", Chris. Maybe he doesn't work with the bad guys, but can you really say that he is a good guy?"

"To be honest, Dani – she continues to tell her, looking to the landscape from the roof where that have been arrived while walking – I have to admit that I thought the same. But believe me, he is worth it."

"I'll repeat the question; can you really say that he is a good guy? How do you really know him?"

"Sometimes you have to do everything you have to, to get the job done… especially in the hard times. Besides, - she continues, changing expression, now smiling- I'm not getting married _for the second time._ I want to be free for a while, before to have something serious _again_. And I need to know who told you about me and…"

"I'm not sure if it really went this way, but it seems that… what her name…is Nocturne, I think… you know Wisdom's team-mate…. She felt there was something between the two of you, and reported to Kurt who reported to the others. You and "_not serious"_, it's quite an oxymoron, now that everybody practically thinks that you have fallen for him -Dani goes near her, and looks at the same show, but, after few instants, she turns to look at Chris in her eyes, and sees that now the smile is gone, and she is showing how worried she is. -Are we living in the hard times, Chris?"

Chris doesn't answer, at least not immediately; she just looks at the press-conference that's taking place in the park of the building, with an evil and satisfied grin.

_"… after a great deal of thought and soul-searching, I've decided to leave the Initiative in order to spend more time with my family."_

_"Sally Floyd, Frontline. Mr. Gyrich, you don't have a family."_

_"No more questions" _The last part, the most interesting one, she just hears it mentally, but she can't say how much she is glad there's someone like Sally Floyd to made Gyrich's life more difficult. _God, I hate that woman…_

"The first graduating class… Do you think that they will be able to fight during the hard times?" Chris turns to look at Dani, not knowing what to answer, what to say. Will they be able to fight during the hard times? _Will they be able to stop the invasion… will they want… if some if them are Skrulls?_

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you in two weekends with thea new chapter of the **Blackdragon **saga..**. **and be ready for the hardest question of all, because the invasion in here...so, who do you trust?**  
**


	14. Secret Invasion: it all begins here

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

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SECRET INVASION: THE INVASION BEGINS

"So, do you want to tell me what's troubling you so much or not? It's not like we don't have the time to discuss whatever is troubling you. I'm not going anywhere until you don't tell me what's wrong… so split your gut, tell me what's wrong so we can go on discussing more important business." Chris and Pete are lying on the top of a hill, on the green, brilliant grass, hugged together, looking at the sunset. They've been silent for a while now, and, still, also after his questions, she refuses to speak, looking a bit sad and worried at the sky. And it's something he doesn't like: their relationship just begun a while ago, but between them the sincerity has always been the most important value, it's what their story is based on, it's how it started: thanks to the words, the discussions they shared during a time that was too hard for Chris to continue to handle it alone as she had always done in the past.

"Chris, c'mon – he tells her taking her face in his hands, kissing her on the lips with all the passion he has, forcing then the young woman to look at him in the eyes – do you trust me? If you do, then, speak to me, tell me what's the problem… did I do something wrong? I mean, I know I'm not exactly the most perfect man of the world, but…" To silence him, to make him stop to speak, she puts her hands on his torso and gives him another kiss on the lips, smaller, quicker, then she rests her head on his shoulder, still continuing to look at the sun, the both of them almost without add a single word for the rest of their time together; few moments later, she hugs him again, giving him a last kiss.

"I'd like to stay, but I've to go; I'm arrived at my destination, and soon Tony will call me to see why it seems that I'm lost in my thoughts…"

Drowning himself in her hair relishing what should be her vanilla scent, he is reluctant about letting her go, although he knows she has to, that, whatever she is doing, it must be important, or she'd be there with him, _really_ with him, and not just on the astral plane. "You never answered my question. Do you trust me, petal?"

As he finally lets her go, she puts a finger on his lips, and, smiling at him, she just gives him the answer, a simple word. "Always." But it's not so simple for her. The question he did to her, it's the question she keeps asking herself from days and days, even weeks… who does she trust? Who can she trust? Can she really trust Pete? After all, he changed so much during the last months, that he could be really a skrull agent, send there to infiltrate Excalibur, MI13, the British government…

**"Chris, are you here with me or not?**"

As they land on a still unknown location, Tony looks at his younger sister; for the whole flight she has been like somewhere else, like she wasn't thinking about what's going to happen. _Or, maybe, she is just thinking too much about it. I think I really scared the hell about her when I told her about the infiltration… _

As they enter in a building, she uses her powers to transform the instable molecules of her costume, changing it into her usual civil clothes (a white shirt, a pair of beige pants, a waistcoat in the same colour and high heeled beige sandals), still without adding too words to what she already told Tony in the last… well, days. "Yeah, sorry, I was just… thinking. I'm ready now."

"**I'm about to tell you all a secret, the biggest secret there's in the world. I'm telling you because… because I just don't know what else to do. –**as Tony finishes this sentence, he decides to play clean, and removes his helmet from his face – the Skrull empire, dozens of world ruled over by a race of shape-shifting life forms. They are here now. Living among us. Undetectable. How do I know? Because Cage's Avengers went to Japan, and this is what they found."

On a steel table, lies the cadaver of a female skrull, dressed as the ninja Electra, behind the not so astonished faces of Tony and Chris, and the very astonished ones of Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards and Hank "Yellowjacket" Pym.

"She was a skrull? For how long?"

"We don't know, Dr. Pym" She politely answers Pym, trying to hide the fact that she doesn't like him too much, in light of the recent (and not so recent ones) events.

"And why couldn't anyone tell?"

"These are the questions, Reed. And she isn't the only one, there are others. I know this to be a fact. You two are the smartest people on the planet. Chris is one of the best trained psych of the world. I look at you, and I see, my armor sees… Doctor Reed Richards of the fantastic Four, Doctor Hank Pym of the Avengers and of the 50 State Initiative and Chris Stark of the X-Men and the Initiative. But I don't know if you are who you say you are. But we have to do something about it. now. Because this is just the beginning. I know it."

"Ok, Tony, and what exactly are we looking for?" as he speaks, Pym goes nearer and nearer to the "creature", as to have a better look at it.

"We have to understand how this skrull was able to shape-shift and stay completely undetectable…" Tony can't even finishes his sentences, that Reed, with already some tools in his hands, stops him.

"What do you mean with completely undetectable?"

"We mean "undetectable to any mutant power, magic-based power sets and technologies. Based on what we know now, even my psyonic powers, or Charles' ones, assuming that he is still alive, are completely useless." She turns the lights on, as well the screens and all the stuffs that are inside the lab, without giving a look at the 3 men. She knows that they don't trust her, and she doesn't know if she can trust them as well. And Reed, her former teach and MIT, the first man she worked for as an assistant… if he is the real Reed, does he knows that she knows about the Illuminati? That she worked for Charles, spying on him and Tony? _God, even if he is the real Reed, how can I honestly face him?_

"Fully undetectable, this is new."

"Yes Reed, this is new. Totally new."

"Or it's a trick" not exactly over the body, Pym seems to really believe what he is telling.

"A trick? How is it a trick?"

"Well Tony, it's simple. maybe those Avengers are Skulls and they're simply missing with you."

"Those aren't skulls. Well, I mean, I'm sure that at least two of them aren't skulls. Clint and Logan are the real ones." Leaning against a nearby table similar to the one where the skrull is, not wanting to stay too close to the thing, knowing too well what they will do with the body; she never liked too much biology, especially when it came to sectioning the bodies.

"How do you know that they aren't skrull, if your powers don't work on them?"

"They know things about my past that only the real ones can know. So they are the real ones or the skrulls took their places at least 7 years in the past."

**"Either way, nothing detected it. this body is the key. Now, sorry, but I've to go. I'll call in for reports. Chris, is there anything you can do?"**

As he asks her this question, she goes near the body, a bit reluctant, and touches it with her right hands, leaning her forehead against the one of the alien, to have a better mental contact. "I can work only on subjects that are still alive or that are dead from a short amount of time. I can't work on her mind. Her memories are gone; she is…ahem… passed out. Her mind is completely empty. I'm sorry. Give me a breathing Skrull and maybe I could try to find a solution on my front."

**"Than, change back to Blackdragon and follow me, ready for super-speed, we must run."**

"What happened?"

**"Later, Hank. I'll call in. and now… Avengers assemble. Iron Man to ****Stark****Towers****. Gather the troops and fire up the quinjet. A skrull ship just crashed in the Savage land."**

"Tony, I was listening to what you were telling Spider-woman… is this is?"

**"We'll know soon."**

"The Savage Land… it's where the Avengers had their first mission after they reformed, a while ago, right? Do you think…- she pauses, like in trance, remaining still in the air in front of Tony. – Tony, whatever it's happening, it will be best if I stay here, monitoring the situation with Fry from your docking station. Besides, I'm not an Avenger, and you'll not have to worry about me during a fight."

**"What's happening?"**

"I just want to check on something – she says as she flies away in direction of said room, finishing the last part of the sentence mentally, as she is already sitting at the desk, in front of the monitors and the computers, wearing Sage's glasses – _Good Luck."_

"Man, who haven't you gone out with?"

_Me, Spider-Man. - _On board of the quinjet just stolen by the "Secret" Avengers, at the back of Spider-Man, in front of the whole group, appears nothing else than the psyonic image of Blackdragon, at crossed arms, without her mask, as she usually does when she mind-travels.- _And I'm still a little pissed off by this. By the way, Tony could take control back of the jet from a moment to another._

"Not anymore, sweetheart. I guttered the motherboard."

_Well, he can still follow you. I mean, he controls the world's satellites. _

"Chris, baby, listen to me please… you don't know what's going on. Just tell us that it isn't a Stark trap."

_Don't you dare to call me "baby" never again, "Ronin", or to treat me like we are close. You lost this right when you lied to me. And believe me, I know too well what's going on. Do you really believe that I'm not aware of the skrull infiltration? By the way, **we**_ _had plenty of opportunities to bust you all without all this. What I don't know… if it's a skrull trap._

"I hope it's a skrull trap. I'm sick of hiding. Of not trusting each other. I miss my family. I want to put this right. I want things to go back to normal."

_Well, Mr. Cage, I hope that everything will end well, but I just want to tell you that whatever will happen, be ready to face a big mess. I want you to be careful._

"So what? Are we again on the same side of the coin? Because a minute ago it seemed that we weren't anymore."

_Clint, please, try to understand me. Don't you see in what position I am now? _– suddenly, Chris' image stops to talks to the whole group, and her psyonic voice goes directly into Clint's own mind- _We can be on different sides, Clint, but you are and will be forever my best friend. You were, are and will be more than Tony has always been for me. I just don't want to lose the only person I can always speak to. The one and only I can really trust with all myself. Please, Clint, I just want you to be careful, you all. I know that I put you through a lot during the last months, that I've been a real pain, but… somehow, I lost myself along the way, I needed to find all my pieces again. And I needed to do it alone._

_You'll never be alone, sweetheart. Maybe we never dated and we'll never do, but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you, because I do, it just means that I don't like you in that way, ok? So, please don't say I'm sorry, and be careful, you too. _

"Mistress Stark? I beg your pardon, are you here?"

A lot of time later, Chris is still at the docking station, controlling all the data she has about the skrull, trying to find an answer, an answer she can't find. But she is sure, it's somewhere, when she hears Jarvis' voice at her back. She was so concentrate in what she was doing, that she even didn't notice his presence, or the remote control he is keeping in his hands…

"Oh… yes, I was just…." In that moment, she screams, her entire body goes into shock thanks to the link she shares with her brother.

_AAAAAGHHHH!!_

"Tony… This was Tony screaming in pain… someone…. How did you enter here?" And now she knows. She knows who she can't trust. Because he just activated a virus on all human technology – and on her brother's armor too, nearly killing him – and is holding a gun at her heart. A bullet: what a way to die for her, who played the hero for all her life. Really funny… and she doesn't want to be remembered because she died in a funny way. So, while "Jarvis" starts to fire at her 1,2,3,4,5,6, times, already injured, she jumped outside the window, while bleeding, without paying to the "HE LOVES YOU" that Jarvis keeps repeating, and while she see through Tony's eyes the ship opening and revealing an "armada" of heroes…or someone poising as the "heroes" she knows… in that moment, the world goes black around her, and for Christine Marie Antoinette Stark Johnson this could be the end. And she knows it, too.

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you in two weekends with thea new chapter of the **Blackdragon **saga..**. **the invasion continues, and this time it strikes New York!**  
**


	15. Secret Invasion: Battle for NY part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

**Note one: sorry if it took me so long, but I started my own activity, and I really had a little time to enjoy writing; today I had both inspiration and time, and so I jsut pun on the screen few words. it's a little less long than the usual, so sorry, I just hope that you'll like it (and that you'll put a looot of reviews!).**

**Note two: please red the pool on my profile page and vote, I don't have a lot of time, but I still love to death writing, and I'd really appreciate to let you see what I'm and I will work on...**

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SECRET INVASION PART 2: THE BATTLE FOR MANHATTAN

_Focus. Stay calm. Breath. Remain in control. Cauterize the wounds. _This is what Christine Stark, better known by the world as Blackdragon, keeps repeating to herself. She just had the probably most hideous and traumatic experience of her whole life (ok, maybe when she saw Tony wearing the armour for the first time she was more traumatized, but, inside her brain, she keeps repeating herself that this is going to give a whole new meaning to the term "trauma"), 'cause her butler, the man who practically saw her become an adult, the man who saw almost all her steps in life, Jarvis, he just shot at her, revealing the whole truth: the real Jarvis has been replaced by a Skrull – and she didn't find anything better to do than jump from Stark Tower. _My compliments Christine Antoinette Stark, you really are a genius. First, you weren't even able to understand that he wasn't Jarvis, and then this… _The Skrull was able to fire her, but not deadly; she has to admit, all the training sessions with the X-men are finally paying; she was able to run away in time, or, at least, **_almost in time_**; but she was already wounded, she was panicking, almost unable to control her powers; unable to fly away, she just had the opportunity (and the ability) to alleviate the velocity of her body, and, doing so, when she hit the soil, she obtains more wounds, sure, but at least she is still alive. _Breath, stay calm Chris. Don't, don't panic, ok? The avengers aren't answering, and so? You lost contact with Fry, what's the matter? It doesn't mean that… _As she keeps hoping for the better – a hope she knows it's false - she jumps into the sewers, escaping from her enemy, to lick her wounds, to think about her next move. But, as she tries to "heal" her wounds at the less worse, her energies leave her, and around Chris Stark the world turns black, a world that, outside her hidden place, is being conquered by alien invaders, **_shape-shifters alien invaders_**. And, although she is out, she still wonders who else has been replaced by the Skrulls…

She doesn't know how much time she has been out, it could be an hour, it could be a day, or more, or less. She doesn't know it, seriously. The only thing she knows is that she is having a headache of scale, like she never experienced before. _Okay, maybe, when the first mutant after M day manifested her power through Cerebra and I was inside her, I had a worst one. or maybe not. Hell, I'm not even sure I can remember my name, figures how to use my powers and get in contact with whoever is outside this…place. By the way, where am I?_ She can't remember well what happened, her body is still in shock, trying to adjust the pieces, to put them together in the right way. _Focus. Breath. Stay calm. You can do this, Chris. Xavier taught you better than this. You are a spy, a good one. you can do this. You are stronger than what they think. Show that damn invaders who you truly are, girl. _This is what passes through her mind, as she slowly walks in direction of a light, hoping to find an exit, something she could escape from… she tries her best to be positive, she continues to think that it's not all lost, that there still hope, that she has to have faith in the people she knows and care about. She has to have faith in Tony, she has to believe that Tony is really Tony _He can't be a Skrull, a Skrull didn't have any motive to tell me… tell the heroes… about the invasion. He has to be him. He has to be Tony. Sure, sometimes I hope he is a Skrull, I mean, look at what he did in the past months, with the Civil War, the Registration Act, the Initiative, the war with the Hulk, the Illuminati… ok, I have to admit that, sometimes, but just sometimes, I hope he is a Skrull, but only because sometimes he can be a real jerk, over all with me. But I really need to believe he is the real one, I need to believe my friends… my beloved ones… are the real deals. I swear to God, if I'll survive this, if there will be a tomorrow free from green alien invaders for the planet, if you-know-who-I-mean is the real one, I swear to God, I'll forget about everything, and I'll tell him that… _

She can't finish her thought, 'cause she finally feel something. After a long time, after hours… or maybe days, she isn't sure, she feels something. Something, or better, someone she knows, who's touching her telepathic mind. Not so in good form, she isn't even sure to, listen to it clearly; it's not a call, but most like a whisper.

This is how thee world ends… the voice keeps repeating, again and again. And so, Chris decides it's time to do what Charles taught her: the good use of her powers. She closes her eyes, and controls her breath and the beat of her heart; reaching again the necessary concentration, she stops to listen to whatever it's outside; she concentrates, and what she listens to it's just the voice… and then, she sees a face, Carol Denver's one, and she sees through her eyes… she sees her attacked by dozens of Skrulls, and, over all, she sees where she is. Still at closed eyes, Chris smirks, for the first time after what it seems to her an eternity and she starts to fly, ready to reach the only Avenger left in town.

When she reaches Carol, she is still fighting, and the one she is doing so with seems to be a Skrull with some powers of the Hulk and of the Sentry; Miss Marvel blasts him with her energy powers, but he first avoids them and then, when she finally hits him, he sends them back to her; thanks to her particular physiology, she remains safe, but carol can't say the same about her costume.

_Carol's costume is already something that shows a lot of… skin. Now the girl is practically naked… _ Chris can't help but think this, as she lands on the soil not so distant from her, smirking; it's not a so right conclusion, probably it could be better if, for once, young Christine Stark thought about herself, since she isn't exactly in abetter position; her costume is almost completely destroyed as well: without mask, her waistcoat is gone (literally: it was in pieces, so she left it in the sewers), her blouse is now sleeveless (but just one is gone, the other one has still some pieces), and her pants are more revealing then never before.

"What the hell, man! You just ruined my costume!" Miss Marvel screams at the intruder, fighting him with brute force, as Chris approaches her walking, still focusing. The meditation she did to find Carol was of good use, she is now in almost complete control of her powers.

"Need an hand, Miss Marvel?" But Carol didn't answer her; she takes the invaders and goes into space with him, just to return, something like half an hour later, where she was before; as she does so, Carol sees the Chris is still where she was, attacking with her telekinesis the Skrulls, covert by a telekinetic bubble as well; she knows it's an old trick that few X-Men used in the past; she saw once the actual Marvel Girl used it, when she went to help Kurt and Logan and other X-men who were going to be arrested because a sheriff didn't recognise the XSE authority.

"Nice to see that you are back. Sorry if I don't use my telepathy – Blackdragon tells her as she punches a Skrull with a psyonic punch – but I'm too taken by the nice ones here…"

Carol doesn't look at her, nor she answers; what she sees are just the Skrulls in front of her.

"I killed your buddy, and now I want to know who's next…" And at the same time, both smirking, the two young women release all their potential in once… energy blasts and telekinetic and telepathic ones at the same time, hitting everything and everyone is in front of them, one for one, one after the other one, and once they are done, their looks at each other, standing, and not thinking about who the other one could be… but about what they are going to do and what they are supposed to do. and they do it smirking, 'cause they both realise what's going on, what's happening to them.

"I know a lot of people who would be scared of what I just did and what I just thought."

"You know, Danvers, I once battled a group called Shadow X, during my sabbatical with Excalibur. You know what Sage and Wisdom asked me one day? – Chris asks her looking at the horizon, searching for something, or maybe someone, maybe the next wave of invaders – they asked me what I thought was the best for them and their "shadow king". You know what I told them? I told them that, if it was going to be a war and we were going to face them, I was going to rip their hearts apart. – she pauses – nice costume, a new one?"

"Considering that you were a spy, I think that you could understand how I feel. This is – Carol answers her charging her right fist – what I used to be, what I still truly am. Nothing matters now… just the battle, 'cause I'm a warrior, a soldier. They are invaders…"

"and this is war we're going to win, at any cost" As they speaks, they continue to fight, until something happened. Carols stops, and when Chris looks in her direction, she understands why. All the Skrulls they were surrounded by, are now gone, replaced by humans… humans among the humans.

_ a street full of targets, is now full of innocents… _

"They turned into people!"

"What's going on?"

"Is it a nightmare? It looks like a nightmare!"

_Damn, what I can do now? They all look like humans!_

_Miss Marvel, stay calm, I can help you. My powers are almost restored, we can work together. I'll link our minds, then I'll scan the people around us and I'll show you in the same instant who you re supposed to fight._

Blackdragon and Miss Marvel. Chris can't stop to think that, technically, this is her first team-up, her first battle at the side of another super-hero. One back against the other one, Chris looks at the people around her, and, concentrating on the targets, as they see a man just killed by the enemy to prove that they can, Carol does her best to cover the both of them.

"Aren't you two going to do something?" a man full of fear asks them, as he looks at the women in costume.

_Yes, we're going to do something, Blackdragon, we're going to give the Skrulls something they ill not know how to react to…there's no time for your trick right now, but there's another one I can perform. Low powered blasts, enough to known out a human, but not enough to hurt a Skrull… can you do it?_

_A blast of telekinetic energy? Are you kidding, Carol? Cable was able to do it when he was a newborn baby!_

_then on the count of 3…_

_..2.._

_1! Go!_

As carol gives her the order, Chris starts to attack, doing what the other one does, and seeing panic and fear in the humans, and rage in the eyes of the one who turns into Skrulls, and, as they do it, the girls channel all their energies and strike back, back to the enemy… it takes a lot of power, a lot of energy, but, in the end, as tough as the Skrulls are, they aren't so tough that the powers combined of Blackdragon and Miss Marvel can't kill them… and so, in the end, they win.

"There's no time to explain. We just saved you all, and now, if you'll let us, we'll finish the job. We'll escort all of you to Stark Tower and…" She is the Miss Marvel Chris likes, the natural born leader.

**_THOOMMMMMM!!_**

**_"_**That didn't sound so…"

"Miss Marvel…." Chris just tells her as they both turn their heads in direction of the sound; there's nothing more to explain, everybody is seeing a Giant Man Skrull.

"Run, everybody run, head towards Stark Tower and don't stop until you're here, we'll handle this!"

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... see you in two weekends with thea new chapter of the **Blackdragon **saga..**. **the invasion continues, as the battle for New York against a Giant Man Skrull... and much more!**  
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	16. Secret Invasion: Battle for NY part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

**Note one: sorry if it took me so long, but I started my own activity, and I really had a little time to enjoy writing; today I had both inspiration and time, and so I jsut pun on the screen few words. it's a little less long than the usual, so sorry, I just hope that you'll like it (and that you'll put a looot of reviews!).**

**Note two: please red the pool on my profile page and vote, I don't have a lot of time, but I still love to death writing, and I'd really appreciate to let you see what I'm and I will work on...**

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SECRET INVASION PART 3: THE BATTLE FOR MANHATTAN PART 2

"Run, everybody run, head towards Stark Tower and don't stop until you're here, we'll handle this!"

Chris looks at Carol Danvers, attacking a Giant Man Skrull, who immediately answers her… as soon as it happens, both Ms. Marvel and Blackdragon fly in direction of the attacked building… the Skrull is tearing apart it, without considering the human lives. Just few minutes ago, Skrull posing as Earth's greatest figures told everyone to calm down, that they were coming in peace to save humanity from the super-hero community… they asked everybody to embrace the Skrull Empire. And this is what they are doing. As it's collapsing, Carol flies, tries to take the rubbles, to save everyone, and, on the soil, Chris is trying to do her best, protecting all she can with kinetic bubbles… but they are not fast enough. They are not strong enough. They save dozens, but there were hundreds inside the buildings.

When it's finally over, Carol emerges from the ruins, and sees Chris, kneeled on the soil, her head in her hands, silently crying, as desperate as never before. Carol doesn't know Chris Stark from a long time, but she has never seen her like that, she know that's something wrong… she knows that look. She is going to explode, she is on the verge of a nervous exhaustion... "Chr.. Black, - she calls her in the way many others do, with the abbreviation of her codename - is everything all right?" she asks her, kneeling near the brunette, touching her shoulders; she is now clearly seeing it: Chris' body is shaking, and, as strange as it could seem, she feels it, too; the moment she touched the cold body, shivers start to run through her spine, a cry explode in her mind; she feels… she feels almost like she did when she and Rogue touched, so many years ago.

"It's just… the thoughts… there were so many of them... hundreds… and we… we just saved few of them… and I saw… I listened to all of them! I saw them dying, Carol… I saw their fears… I saw how they were seeing us… they were just preying we were fast and strong enough to save them all, and when we didn't… they asked themselves why we choose someone and let outside the others!... it's like in Genosha… there are so many of them… so many… too many… really too many… I can't handle all their thoughts… I really can't…" As she says this, Chris loose completely control of herself, and find herself crying desperately on Carol's shoulders, as her newfound friend embraces her trying to calm down the young "heroine".

"I'd like to tell you that you can handle this, Chris, but I can't. I don't know what sort of hell you went through when you were in Genosha, neither what you are living here, but I can only assume that it must be really an hell for a telepath, especially for one who's having problems re-arranging her powers…."

Chris stops Carol, looking in her masked eyes, a sight of panic and curiosity printed on her face. "How… how do you know that.. that I'm having problems with my powers? No one does! Not even Tony or my boyfriend, or my best friends…"

"I know what it means, having problems with your own powers. I lived it on myself. I know what you are going trough. But now it doesn't matter, Chris; you have to calm down and concentrate on me. Isolate all the thoughts, you have to listen just to my voice, ok?" she says as she takes Chris' face in her hands. Her pale unmasked face still lined by tears, Chris looks in Carol's eyes, and does as she ordered; it's not easy, and it's painful… also because, before to isolate the thoughts, she has to listen to them all, together, at the same time. And for her fragile psyche is a torture.

_Are you listening to me, Chris? Are you here with me? Just me?_

_I'm… I'm here, yes… I'm.. I'm trying to adjust my powers to this… this situation… but my control's… is not back at 100 after the… the gunfire at Stark Tower…and my …my powers… they are so… unstable… almost difficult to… to focus but… but I'm trying my best…._

_Oh my… do you mean that they took our headquarter too?_

_Jarvis' one of them… almost killed me… before he fired me… I heard Tony screaming…. Dying in my mind… lost contact with him and Pete too… don't know who I can trust… who I could ask for help…"_

"Now that you are _almost _back in control… I need you to understand something. We're at war, Blackdragon. We've already had enough causalities… because even one dead it's enough, clear? And, of all, you're probably the one who can understand it better, since you can see their last thoughts in your mind. You see them. You live them. Tony told me once that you've been trained as a spy by Xavier… that you learned from Magneto and Cable too. So you know what it means being at war. You know what you have to do."

"It means – Chris finally says at loud, tightening her teeth – that the only good Skrull is a dead one, and that Giant Skrull is gonna die…"

"That's what I wanted to hear…" at the same time, both Carol and Chris leave the soil, the first one emitting energy blast from her hands, the second one with her eyes brightening of a violet light, unequivocal sign that she is tapping into her psych powers… and flying in front of him, they release all their firepower, without hesitation. Carol had the battle in the savage land. Chris battled "Jarvis" for her life, then the attack in N.Y., and now this. They had enough of everything. They are exhausted. They just want to put an end to all of this, and they'll do everything to reach their goal.

"I so hate shape shifters. Their vital organs are never where they are supposed to be…"

"I'm with you, Chris… and the guy is so big that our blasts are just causing him pain, instead of killing him…I think it's time for something a bit harsher. Mind if I ask you a little help from your kinetic abilities?" Carol and Chris are now side by side, in the sky, between Giant-Skrull and one of the few remained buildings; at the same time, smirking, they turn their attention towards said building, and, with their powers, they took a relay from it, and launch it against the alien, right in the centre of his chest, like it was a ram, or a stake doomed to kill a vampire… with all their combined powers, with all their energy, with their entire being… like this single action could change the sort of the war… and then Carol detonates it, firing it with one of her famous bolts of energy, living the skrull, dying, in flames…

_Carol! He's going to hit a building; we've got to do something!_ Chris screams in the mind of the "old" heroine; temporally speaking, a telepathic message is much faster than a vocal one, and so, as the girls are both still "speaking", they are already hitting him to launch the creature far from the people, where the destruction already hit, where the population of NY already evacuated; Carol does it physically, with her bare hands, releasing a little of stress, while Chris has to do it mentally, with her kinetic powers. Not something she is so happy about, she would do it with her hands, like Carol, to avoid thinking about… about everything's going on in her life.

"I believe he just had a taste of NYC's welcoming, what do you think? – Carol teases her, grinning at the girl near her, someone who's too young, to have seen what she had seen and lived what she had lived; she clearly can see that she is upset, her mind somewhere lese, and, frankly, she can understand why – Chris, you don't have to be worried about your brother; he was the one to send me back here, he was fine, and I'm not telling you this just to convince you to concentrate only on what's going on here, but…"

"No, Carol, it's not just that, it's… - she pauses, looking at sun for a sec, than at Carol again – it's what you told me a while back, do you remember? About the fact that I'm having problems re-arranging my powers… the fact is that, after I come in contact with the Me… with the first mutant birth after M-Day inside Cerebra… something happened to me, something changed."

"You mean… like a secondary mutation? Did you develop new powers?"

"Well, yes, I think. It's that I'm still trying to figure them out; it seems that now I can get in touch with any technology, and have a little control of it… I don't know what my limits are, for now I just entered in few lines, or turned on televisions, radios, that sort of thing… but it's stressing, over because I'm surrounded by the technology… that's why when Starkteck went out I, well, I went out me too, for a while."

"And… have you told someone about it?"

Hank… the Beast… I went to speak with him about this thing, few days ago. He's not sure what's happening to me, he told me he was going to examine few tissue samples..."

"What did he tell you?" Carol asks her as they both contemplate their success.

"He told me that it could be a secondary mutation, a power similar to Sage's one, but, since my new abilities are so similar to the ones given to Tony by the Extremis, well, he think it could be Extremis related. After all, no one knows how the Extremis works, how passes from a person to another one… but he is not sure yet. He just told me that, in case it was Extremis, he is sure it's not deadly, since I'm, after all, almost ok."

"Well, sweetie, relax, you're not the only one with problems here; imagine that…"

"Carol!" a voice yells from their back; both girls turn their heads to see who the owner of the voice is; a tall man of Asian origins, in his first thirties, dressed with a SHIELD uniform, walks in their direction, followed by a small crowd of people, and Carol flies in front of him, followed immediately by Chris.

"Agent Sum, I'm always happy to see you!"

After the first, polite few words, they immediately start to yell at each other, arguing fiercely, but Carol Danvers is who she is, and immediately clears the point: she is the boss, and she isn't going to allow him to fight with her about she know for sure it's right.

"Where are the rest of the Avengers, Carol?"

"Savage land; director Stark ordered me to come back to help; I haven't stopped to fight since I arrived."

"Our network is down; I haven't been able to contact anyone. I was thinking that Stark Tower is just a couple of blocks from here, maybe we could reach it and than regroup…"

"That was my plan, but…. excuse me for a sec, will you?" As a Iron-skrull is arriving in their direction, Carol is going to hit him with anything she have, but, as soon he is near, he explodes, like from self-combustion.

"What the hell did you just do, Carol?…"

_My new powers aren't o bad, are they? See how I entered in his armour's network and I was able to short…_

But Chris is stopped from the arrival of many others invaders, and, as soon as they realize it, they are fighting, again. The city's not reacting, it seems that Carol, Sum and Chris are the only ones who are trying to avoid to see Manhattan more beaten; they fight with their bare hands, with blasts of energy, with blows of kinetic powers, blades of mental energy, guns…

_As my boyfriend always tells me… whatever it needs to get the job done. I think that, if I wasn't a spy, I couldn't understand what he means. I don't think that normal people do it… like Nightcrawler, or Shadowcat… _

_Yeah, well, you know what, Black? Your boyfriend is damn right. And I can tell you that I'm more determined than ever to kill each one of them and then have a hell of a bonfire with their bodies in times square… _"Sum, now we have to bring all these people to safety."

"as I was telling you before, Stark Tower…"

"Tower's sealed, and then, probably, the enemy took it. It's not safe."

As Chris peaks, probably for the first time Sum sees that she is here, and turns his attention towards her; Carol sees it, and, anticipating his move, makes the presentations.

"Agent Sum, let me introduce you to Lady Blackdragon, better knows as Christine "Chris" Stark. Chris, he is Agent Sum , from my unit."

"we all well know director Stark's little sister, the mutant. She was the one who captured the ghost live on tv."

"What can I say – she says shaking hands with him. A girl has to defend herself"

"Now, speaking of what's going on here… we need to get these ones out of the city, and find a SHIELD line that's not down. I want everyone on that bus, we're bringing everyone to somewhere safer."

"What are thinking about, Carol?"

"I was thinking about the raft. It has a SHIELD land line, and, being an island, it's an easily defensible position."

"Carol's right; from what I recall, the raft isn't using any recent Starktech, so it should still be active, or at least less compromised."_ And with my new powers, I could try to adjust the bugs in the system. _

"Now – Carols says as she turns to look at another wave of invaders – I want you to drive fast, we'll catch with you later!"

At the same time, with a grin on their faces, Chris and Carol attack at the same time the fist creature of the attack line, and then fly separate ways; not only the aliens split into two groups, but they stop to put attention to the bus as well, exactly what the girls wants; and, as soon as they are distant enough, they stop where they are, and look in face their enemy.

_Ok, Chris, do you see what I want you to see? This one's the skrull we're looking for, the one with this look… he probably has the power of Nitro, so, if you'll be able to make him mad enough, he'll explode on his own._

_Right boss, clear. _ And, although they are in different places, they both attack the nitro skrulls, at the same time, teasing him, making him explode after a while… making him kill all his team-mates.

Minutes later, they are both face-to-face again, flying in front of each other, near the bus, and, without speaking a single word, they both know what they have to do, and, with Carol's strength and with Chris' telekinesis, they bring the bus to the Raft, the maximum security prison for super criminals, the island on broad of Manhattan; as they land, they immediately know something's wrong.

"Well, probably the sensors are down. The girl said that part of the technology used here is made of Starktech, so, maybe…"

"This place has backups for its backups. And they don't use a so easily attackable technology like Starktech is for something so important."

"Blackdragon's right. Speaking of which… what are you listening to?"

"Miss Marvel, I can assure you that something is very wrong here. I can still listen to the last thoughts of the dead ones, and… and I'm listening to something… no, someone, right now… there, he's there, but I can't… it's very confused, and he is panicking… I'm not sure I can read him right…"

"In that case, sum, keep everyone on the bus, we'll go to take a look."

And minutes later, they find it. A man, an agent of shield, the only one who remains in life, surrounded by bodies, men and women slaughtered horribly, and put like in a ritualistic way.

"The others… the other skrulls were afraid of it… they were scared of it!" he keeps repeating, shouting at them, falling in their arms.

_Calm down, be quiet, walk on the bus that's out there and then listen to the orders that the agent will give you. You've been a brave soldier, you've done your duty, now you've done here._

"I've… I've done here… now I can… I can go to the bus and wait for the orders…." He keeps repeating as he walks away, calmly, in Sum's direction.

"Impressive, well done. Now – they hear a scream and run in the direction it come from, finding a criminal lying on a obituary bed, still alive, with a Skrull who's going to cut him in pieces – Now I know why the agent said that the skrulls too were scared of him…"

"yeah… I can't imagine why…, well, although I could like seeing a criminal die - Chris sarcastically adds, flying after Carol, joining the "fight" – I assume we can't let him kill a human, right?"

The start to hit him. And they hit him hard. One, twice, three times, and then they stop to count… they simply continue to hit him with whatever they have, powers, hands, things, mind. But there's nothing they can do about it. It seems that they can't kill him, since, everytime they are going to him, he switches powers, taking the ones from another hero, or many the one for time.

"What the… what the hell is he, DIAL-A-POWER?"

"Just hope he can die like all his mates as well, carol… " they hit him, and he becomes sandman. They hit another time, and he is now Iceman…

_he's… freezing my body… the air I breath, my throat, my body… all frozen…_

_Relax, Carol, I can telekinetically vibrate the molecules of water, making them quickly evaporate… remember that I was an x-men, I used to training with Bobby Drake for a while. Nice boy, not exactly my kind, but not one to trow away in the bin._

Chris is doing – or at least, trying to do – what she had told, Carol, but the creature is faster than her, and, after removing the ice from her, he screams with Black Bolt's voice, making every inch of their bodies vibrate, an then taking Carol away, flying her out of the prison, under the eyes of Sum and Chris, who's running outside as quickly as she can.

"Now enough… you will not kill me, I will not die today!" as she says that, she takes him with her, and flies away, back to the city, keeping hurting the creature, throwing it against everything she finds – road, buildings, constructions, it doesn't matter as long as it serves to keep him down long enough to help carol to take the time she needs to think about a way to kill him….

"Carol! My god, are you all right? Any broken bones?" Like an eternity later, Chris lands near carol, back in the city, and is horrified seeing what's under their eyes right now… the skrull just attacked his own "brothers". Forgetting everything else, he channels his anger towards them, killing every single skrull he can, for, maybe, hours, without logic, a strategy; he doesn't know what being a warrior means, nor what discipline or training. He is just an animal, and, after he has done, he sees them, both of them, standing on the ground in front of him, and attacks the girls.

"Let us tell you a thing, sweetie…" Carols starts.

"You don't look so good." They grin. They know what it means, teasing him. As soon as he realizes what they are probably saying him, he jumps on his feet again, and runs towards them, and, as soon as he is near them, they both attack him, with a grin on their faces, knowing too well that the thing is now exhausted, and no longer he can survive their combined attacks.

After is over, they wait, wait for him to jump on his feet again, but it doesn't happen, and so they know. They know it's over, for just a while, for a little time. For not too long… but it doesn't matter, 'cause, for the first time in the day, they stop to fight, and can finally find a moment to breath and concentrate, and so, after a long time, Chris does something she doesn't know was going to do again: she smiles, and looks at Carol.

"Ehy, what's the grin for, Black? What do you have in your mind?" Still grinning, the brunette doesn't say a word, and just closes her eyes, concentrating her thoughts on Carol Danvers, her right hand like gesticulating in her direction, and so, in a flash of light, Carol changes, and what was once a semi-destroyed costume, in now again complete, and the same thing happens, moments later, to Chris' one.

"And so, you new costume is new again, no longer ruined. I think you could…" And without ending the sentence, she stops, eyes searching for something in the void, nowhere to be found.

_Chris, luv, it's me. It's over …_

_Pete, I'm so… I wasn't able to fell anyone… I loose contact with everybody… I thought I was remaining alone… _- her mind pauses, as her astral form meets with Pete, on the astral plane, at their secret astral spot, where they've spend all their time together during the months they've been apart – _I can see there's something wrong…. What's up, Pete? You know you can talk to me…_

_John's dead. They killed him, Because he no longer was one of them… -_he lays his head in her chest, cuddling against what's supposed to be her warm body – _You knew it was going to happen, didn't you?_

_I knew there was a possibility. Tony… Tony made me promise to not tell to a living soul. Not even Rhodey knew what was going to happen…_

_Did you think I was one of them, a skrull? Was it the reason why you refused to join us, left me and come back here? I thought we promised to be honest with each other, although we no longer were exactly together…_

_DAMN Pete, you married another woman! I knew it was a political marriage, but you married her! and then there was Maureen, and then…_

She is silenced by him, who kisses her, as they were really together, and a genuine and shy smile appears on her lips, both on the astral Chris and on the real one.

_I hate to interrupt this, but I need to go Pete… my physical me is needed elsewhere._

_Christine Antoinette Stark, just remember that I love you with all my being, and that, when this is over, I'm waiting for you here to join me. Ehy, and just to let you know, it's not a proposal-proposal, but just a work proposal, ok?_

"Chris…. What…" Carol looks at her; the girl is on knee, on the ground, crying, hands on her mouth, whispering something between tears.

"What's up, Chris? What's the matter?" she repeats as she goes near her, putting her hands on her shoulders; in that moment, Chris opens her yes again, and, looking in the ones of the woman she had just fought with, stops to cry, with a breath of relief, and jumps on her feet, drying with a sleeve the tears away from her now smiling face, and then, they both see it… they see lighting strikes on the soil, and they know it's time. They know who's come to help. To save the day.

"There's a place where we're supposed to be, Miss Marvel"

"Yeah, I think that There's something big going on me too."

"Is that…. I mean, it's him, right?"

"Yes, it's him. Definitely." And so They fly, faster than ever, in direction of what they just saw and testify, and when they land, they see it. They see them, all of them. Together. The new captain America, side by side with the mighty Thor, and the Avengers. All the Avengers, Tony's and Luke's ones as well, and then he arrived, too, Nick Fury, with his new Howling commandos, and the young Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and the Initiative… all the heroes from the planet are there.

"I'M SUMMONING THE BATTLE THAT MUST BE FOUGHT" thor says as lightning strikes back, and Miss Marvel and Blackdragon joins everybody.

"Uhm…. What are you all doing? Assuming that you all who you say you are." Spiderman climbs out from the jet, "flying" thanks to his webs.

"Who's here is really who they say they are" Stretching his body, Reed Richards, better known as Mr. fantastic, emerges from the jet, too, followed by who was still on it.

"Tony! Do you feel better, what happened?" After a long time, Tony takes his little sister in his arms, remembering what he felt when they were younger, when she was his little girl, how he had promised to their parents to protect her, and, in this simple gesture, it's like he is asking her to forgive him for all the years he has spend trying to push her away, and in her tears, he know she is asking him to forgive her, too, for what she has done in the past, for all the mistakes and the misunderstandings.

"I'm glad you two took good care of each other" he says, simply and genuinely smiling at both girls.

"Hate to brake the magic, but…uhm… I think they got Thor's message…"

And so, in front of them, they arrive. An army of skrulls with super-powers… led by Spider woman and Yellowjacket.

"They are of them? How long have they been with us?"

"Good Question, sis – he then leaves her, but, standing at her side, never living it, he looks at them, facing the enemy with all his bravery and force. – last warning, leave now."

"We're here to save you. To change you. Because, in spite of all you've done to our empire… he loves you."

"Ehy! Stop repeating this "he" and let's say once and for all who thie he is!" Spiderman says pointing at the woman he once considered a friend, a team-mate.

"God loves you."

"Well, my God has a hammer!" Fury says, first in line ready for the battle.

And so, she smiles, because she feels it's coming. She knows what's going to happen. And she grins, because she knows it.

RIGHT…. AVENGERS – Tony starts, with his helmet back on his head, a robotic voice again in place of his real one – ASSEMBLE! And they all do the same. They all attack. Together. And, once in the history, they are all the same. They're all part of a group… they're all AVENGERS, battling to save the planet. Doesn't matter which side you were on, if you're a criminal or a former one or always been a hero… no, this time they're all together.

_And soon it will be over…._

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you soon!**  
**


	17. Secret Invasion: Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

**Note : Spoiler for Secret Invasion 8. if yo haven't red it yet, wai to gove a look at this.  
**

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SECRET INVASION PART 4: EPILOGUE

RIGHT…. AVENGERS – Tony starts, putting his helmet back on head, a robotic voice again in place of the real one they were all hearing not so long before – ASSEMBLE! And, as the words leave his mouth, they all do it. They do the samest thing at the samest time. They all attack. Together. And, once in the history, they are all the same. They're all part of a group… they're all AVENGERS, battling to save the planet. Doesn't matter which side you were on, if you're a criminal or a former one or always been a hero… no, this time they're all together…. Including Chris. As she reaches the front ready to battle, she feels it… she feels being an Avenger, as she is going to battle with them. True, she has already done it… after all she was at their side when the Hulk came back, but it was different. She didn't trust her brother at the time, she didn't trust any of them at the time; she was with them, but, at the same time, she was alone, on her own. She has never felt it, never thought it was going to happen. but it's happening. She is an Avenger now, maybe just for a couple of hours, or maybe for more, but she is one of them, mind and soul and blood and bones. It's like it's not Blackdragon, but just Chris. She has felt it, being easy with herself, not too long before, while battling alongside Carol. This was the first step. Now the second one. being with them. And with Tony blessing, too.

And, as the battle starts, she remains at her injured brother's side, projecting shields of kinetic energy and blasts of kinetic and psyonic one as well, trying to leave on the ground all the Skrulls she can.

"What's troubling me is that we're clearly outnumbered, and that we still don't know who is a skrull or not… - She says, back against her brother's one, both fighting with everything they have, blast leaving Tony's armor, direct directly on the Aliens' faces.- What are we going to do about it, Big Bro?"

**Reed will take his Skrull Detector on full blast – **Tony starts, doing whatever his current status allows him to – **we'll **

"Not to disappoint you, Big bro… but we're still outnumbered!"

"Get to the queen, get to the Jessica Drew Skrull, take out the leader and you'll take them out!" For a moment, Chris turns to look at the man who just spoke. Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, one of her brother's friends, genius, her former teacher, the first person she even worked for as an assistant, and he is with them, in the core of the battle, and it's not just because of all the ups and downs his group has ever had with the Skrulls… it's because of who Reed is first. Reed is first a husband and a father. They are trying to take this away from him, and he'll not allow this. So, as he blasts at full potential his Alien detector, he fights, too, brutally, fiercely, as she has never seen before. She knew him. She didn't think she was going to see this, but it's happening, because they are at war now, and for real.

"I'm on it, brains, and for so many reasons!" She hears Logan (or, as she calls him now to have fun at his expense, Jim, from his newfound name, James Howlett) answers as he cuts a couple of Skrulls in pieces.

**Chris, I can take care of myself. Go help them - **As he turns his head to give a quick look at his sister, Tony's voice becomes soft, nice, gentle, as it hasn't been in ages. –**Avengers… Thor, Ares, Simon! Take the front line!**

"And hit the Spider-woman!" Captain America. She is battling alongside Captain America! Well, maybe not the first one, true, he is not Steve Rogers, but Tony has faith in him, in this Bucky…or James or whatever his name is…. And she knows Rogers did too. Tony had told her. he had told her everything. He had opened his mind for her so she could read it without him violating some code… she hasn't met him yet, but she hopes to be able to shake hands with him sooner or later.

**Well, that too! Damn… - **Tony says as his armour starts to do what it wants and doesn't answer to him – **My armor isn't working at full steam, I'm holding it together with rubber bands!**

"Then go fix yourself, Stark!" The Captain says, still fighting.

**I'm sorry, I'll be back as soon as I can, my armor's shot, I'm useless**

As he leaves the soil and flights in direction of one of his "facilities", one of his labs, one of his industries, he stops for a while, already in the air full of fire, and turns, just to see her standing in the air as he is doing, motionless, in front of him.

"I'm coming with you. You're still hurt by what the Skrull did to you, and then, my newfound techno-telepathic abilities could be of huge help. – she pauses, sad and fierce at the same time – I'm not taking a no for answer, Tony. I needed you in the past, now it's you the one in need of me." He pauses, waiting for seconds that seem minutes to answer her, also because he has just understood that his little sister trusts him again, telling him about some new powers she is developing.

**You should go help them**

"They're grown-ups. They can take care of themselves, differently from you" she says sarcastically, smirking at him as they leave, flying in direction of something where they could take care of Tony.

**SHIELD command, this is Tony Stark with Initiative Member Blackdragon. Can anyone read this frequency? Over. **– he pauses – **helicarrier, can you read me? over? Jarvis, can you read me? over? **

"What, Jarvis? No, Tony, wait, he's…" She can't end her sentence, tell him what's going on, since they are both attacked by Skrulls. It happens quickly, and sooner that they waited for; it happens so quickly, that Chris even doesn't see who's the Skrull Tony defeats with the reaming blasts of his amour, while she is taken by a Miss Marvel Skrull, a not too god one, considering she puts her away in just few minutes. But it's what the Skrulls wanted. They wanted to buy some time. And they wanted to scatter them, as it happens, since, as the little battle of theirs goes on, they take separate ways.

_Tony? Tony, can you read me? Over…. Tony? Damn…. God, please, make that he didn't go to __Stark__Tower__… I wasn't able to tell him Jervis was one of them…. Tony please – _she thinks as she comes back to reach the battlefield again, unable to reach her brother's mind or even his mainframe – _don't go home. Don't come back home to see the last member of our family… he isn't who you think he is… _

"Get her out of here! She needs a doctor! – she looks as she recognises the voices she has just herd, and smiles, once in a day,. For just a while, more inside than outside, seeing the scene – I'll take these!" Clint Barton, alias Hawkeye, alias Goliath, alias Ronin… he is back to what he is really good at. He is back to where he belongs, back to who he truly is; as she fires her blasts at the Skrulls, she can't help but look at him, bow and arrows in his hands, battling them, sending all his arrows to the enemy, with out missing a target; each shot is a jackpot. He is screaming, she can hear him, full of rage, of desperation, of sadness… they played with him, with the love he still feels for his wife, she has seen with her mind what the false Bobby has told him. He thought she was back for real, he wanted her to be back for real… but she isn't. and so, as he has in his hands the bow that belong to Kate Bishop and before to him, as now again, he attacks, a silent, little tear leaving his eyes, and then…. Then it's only screaming, outside, but insider Chris' telepathic mind as well. And pain, so much pain, it's something she has never physically felt before… like the time "Jervis" fired her, she is loosing control of herself, of all her abilities…and, over all, of her mind. She just listens to them screaming in her mind, in her brain, and she is not even able to say who's screaming what: she is listening to her fellow "brothers in arms", to the whole population of NY, and even them, the one she was sure was finally out of her world… but, as she tries to stay still, she can't help but listen to them, to the entire population of Genosha, the psychic residues that they all left inside her mind, when she lost control of herself for the very first time, allowing their voices to enter inside her and stay there. And it's happening, it's all happening again. She is on the soil, crawling like a worm in direction of Clint, hoping that a simple physical contact will allow her to take back what's left of herself, and, as she is doing so, she sees it, she sees what's happening, who's happening, who's killing them… Jan. Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp. Screaming in agony as many others are doing, she is the centre of everything that's happening. She is trying to get away, everyone who isn't puking up its lungs is trying to help her… Thor is in the frontline, and is looking at the woman he has knew almost his entire human life, with an incredible sadness, and resolution as well…

"I will avenge you, fair Janet" he says, as thunder hits twice the soil, hitting her… in her dying breath, she was trying to save lives, to defeat the enemy, but she was killing everybody, humans and Skrulls alike. They all knew it was the only choice, the only things to do, that there was only one way to stop, but this isn't making it less tragic. She was one of them, she was an Avenger, a founding member, and the Skrulls… they got her. As life leaves her body, whoever survived, whoever was left… at the sound of Logan's claws, they all attack, at the same time, ready to kill all of them… and then, the unexpected happens… as Logan is going to kill her, already brutalizing her dying body, as she keeps repeating that he loves her, her head explodes, red blood all over Howlett's face, they turn their head in direction of the helicopters, up in the sky. Everyone in the world is looking at it, thanks to the networks that're covering it, it's the shot heard around the whole world… Norman Osborn, the only one, the person who got the killshot. As he is still holding his weapons in his hands, the director of the Thunderbolts seems to cede, his voice shakes, shivers. And it's when Chris joins them, up in the sky, near them, near Carol and the one who just come back.

**Avengers, those who can, take to the sky. Brings the warships down before they could try to run, or worse!**

"Tony – Carol says looking at the old fashioned armor in front of her, giving them orders – is that you?"

**Old fashioned, old school, I know. Someone convinced me to have it in storage at the tower**

"Told you it was a good thing have something not tied to the Starktech mainframe, big bro - she pauses, as both she and Carol look at him – Are you okay?"

**Okay. enough – **he pauses, but flying, not standing still – **Chris, are you okay?**

"I'm alive, so yeah, I'm okay."

"Did you see what happened to Janet?" Carol asks him.

**I saw. Chris, are you still? Can you give me a hand? –** she nods, without saying a single word, knowing that they don't need it – **then you are with me.**

** n**o more words are needed, those who can, take the sky, silently. Ares, all by himself, drops a warship all by himself in the ocean, while the others, they try to defeat what's left of the armada, who's, without a proper leader, is trying to retreat, but, since they don't have a leader, they are like catching spinning their wheels, when Thor whips out the hammer

**Sis, what your powers are telling you? Are you speaking with some sort of doomsday device?**

"are your devices enough to see something, Tony?" Chris says, wrapped by a telekinetic bubble, as she is font of the remains of one of ships, standing, trying to make a sense of what she is sensing.

**Oh my God… are you sensing it, you too, Chris? Is that…."**

**W**ith their combined efforts, his tech and her powers, they overdrive the Aliens' tech, they fight, they do what it takes to get the job done, and they finally are able to get into the ship they needed, the only one, and take control of it…

**we need it in the air! **he tells her, as they are on deck.

"Doing what I can here, bro. I don't usually speak Skrullish or whatever the hell their damn language is called."

**I thought you could speak with any technologic device, little sis**

"sorry, not having any Skrull- English dictionary over here. What I don't understand, I can't use. Are you suggesting something?"

**See what we can do with strength and telekinesis, then **he says, as they both leave the deck, going outside, helping everybody who's around them to help to avoid the ship to collide on the soil, the same soil they soon land on, the same soil where everyone is pointing guns and weapons and powers at the doors of said ship, doors that, once opened, reveal the truth…

"Oh my… are you… are you okay?" Carol leaves her position, and run towards her best friend, Jessica Drew, and takes her in her arms, almost crying, not sure of what's going on.

"No! I'm tired, and I'm so out of sorts it's not even a little funny and you are so a sight… - she pauses, as she says everyone's looking at her - what did I say? Why is everyone looking at me?"

"No one knows what to think, Jess."

"Why? What happened?"

"Long Story."

**Hank Pym **

"Thor, we have so much to do. I'm so glad you are back with us. I'm glad we can finally"

"_Don't misunderstand my intentions, Stark. I come here because I was needed. I told you I would never fight alongside you again, that I would never join thy ranks again." _

"Tony, is that you? I feel like I slept for two hundred years, I'm not even sure if I want to know what year it is, And… thor, you're okay! You're back! How's everybody, where's Jan?"

"Jarvis? Jarvis! – Chris says running in direction of the man who raised her, embracing him, tears of joy in her eyes – I know he was a doppelganger, that you couldn't be able to kill me, even brainwashed!"

"I beg your pardon, mistress Stark… Sir, but I seem to have found myself in a rather awkward situation….I feel so sorry, I feel like I have let you…."

"No!!!!! – Jessica johns screams like in agony, as she sees Jarvis, and flies in direction of Stark Towers, followed by Carol, who's holding Cage, while Chris remains in Central Park, trying to walk, to decide who she has to follow. The adrenaline is now gone, she is feeling weak, fragile, lost; almost on the verge of crying, sitting on a rock, shaking, her head like hell, she is just able to turn her head to see something that she has jet to decide if she has to be happy about it or not….

"Bobbie… is that you?" he says, not daring to touch her, as she goes nearer and nearer.

"My god, Clint, you look… you look terrible."

"You look great, as always"

"What are you wearing?" he doesn't answer, and, as Chris stands and starts to walk in direction of her brother, not sure if it's the good things to do, if it's the right timing or not, he takes the blonde in his arms and kisses her, and, as she sees them doing so, a silent tears leaves her eyes, and her mind, just for a while, leaves the physical place she finds herself into, and goes where has been previously during the same day, with same person she was with before the battle could start.

_Where the bloody hell… _- the black haired man says, as he suddenly finds himself under a tree, on the top of a small hill – _wait, I know where I am…. Chris, luv, is that you? - _As, still on the grass, he turns his head and looks at his back, he sees her, dressed with her costume, coming near him, and, as she sits in his lap, leaving her head to rest on his chest, he sees that she is crying, silently, and something else_. _As he takes her chin in his hands, he forces the crying creature to loon in his eyes, to be honest with him_ – Love, what happened to you? You look… Chris, talk to me, please, tell me what's the matter…._

_I'm weak, Pete, and so tired, I can't even separate my soul self from my physical one… just, please, hold me, just for a minute, tell me it's really over, that it will end well…_

**_Days Later, Stark Enterprises, _****_Westchester_****_ Facility._**

(On the screen, the US president is talking from a stage, at a press conference)_Shield has been compromised and is being shout down. It will be replaced with something far more superior and modern._

"Says the most candid man alive. He keeps repeating that you put yourself at the top of the world, but look at him, look at what he is doing! Does he really believes that he is doing something right? He is the only one here who keeps acting like he is the boss around here!"

_ And its goals will be to keep this planet safe from those who would attack it from inside in and out. If this invasion has proved anything at all, it's that we need a certain type of man at the head of the table, we've all seen the footage, we've seen a true hero at work. We know what type of hero we need watching the skies, and that man is Norman osborn. All that fell under the SHIELD banner, including the Avengers and the 50 states initiative, now falls under the Thunderbolts Initiative. And I want to make something perfectly clear. Starktech will no longer be used in nay form of defence capacity or by the military. The entirety of Stark enterprises has been compromised to the point of uselessness _As the president says so, Osborn takes the word.

_and a full-scale investigation into what went on will be conducted and those deemed negligent will have to answer._

Maria Hill, Former deputy director of Shield, second to Tony, Chris and Tony are watching the press conference inside one of the conference rooms at the enterprises, all dressed like they weren't in a long time, civilly.

"Christine, be quiet, I don't think you have to…." Maria tells her, as Chris uses her powers to make one of the screen going into pieces.

"I'm sick and tired of it! Look at what he is doing! How can't he realise what he is doing?" the brown head, dressed with a black silk shirt, unbuttoned for the first 3 buttons, a pair of light blue pants, a waistcoat in the same colour and high heeled black sandals.

"C'mon, how long before they realize they just handed the keys to a…. – Maria pauses, as Chris, leaning at crossed arms at the table, turns her head in direction of the person Maria is looking at – Tony, Tony, are you okay?"

_C'mon big bro, we're asking you if you're okay…_

As he turns to look at them, it seems that he hasn't sleep in days, Chris remembers that, when he drunk, he was that way, and a shiver of fear runs along her whole spine. He looks at them, and then, at screen, lost, as everything is loosing importance to him…. "What...."

Next: the dark reign is here, what will Chris do in this brand new world?

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you **in a month!  
**


	18. Blackdragon Annual 2008: Blackdragon 00

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

**Note one: sorry if it took me so long, but I started my own activity, and I really had a little time to enjoy writing; today I had both inspiration and time, and so I jsut pun on the screen few words. it's a little less long than the usual, so sorry, I just hope that you'll like it (and that you'll put a looot of reviews!).**

**Note two: please red the pool on my profile page and vote, I don't have a lot of time, but I still love to death writing, and I'd really appreciate to let you see what I'm and I will work on...**

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BLACKDRAGON ANNUAL 01: DAYS OF PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

_Yesterday, Somewhere near __London__, …._

"Does she remember? Does she already know? Did someone tell her that…." Maria Stark was standing in front on the window of the big mansion of propriety of the already late Michael and Tanya Johnson, looking at the heavy rain falling from the sky like tears, like Heaven was knowing what was going on, what just happened…. Biting one of her nails, she turns in direction of her husband , of a Police officer from New Scotland Yard – an Inspector - and a man on a wheelchair, younger than them, but already bald, who called them a couple of days before.

Standing near an ancient desk, the man looks at same papers, and then answers her question, turning his attention repeatedly to her and to her husband: they both look at him, but, strange but true, Maria doesn't feel the urge to know who he is or why he is there.

"She doesn't know, no one told her what happened. Her mind is… blocked, probably for the shock." He messages his chin, without look them in the eyes, like he was lying or he was hiding something.

"Inspector Linley told us she passed the past few days screaming and crying… how did it happen that she don't remember the fact that someone killed her parents and she found the body in their London house, in the middle of the night, and that her sister is disappeared? Damn, she even doesn't remember about having an older sister! She remembers of her parents, but like it was something far away, distant… what happened?" Howard Stark doesn't care about the health of the man in front of him: he looks at him, angrily, for few minutes, full of rage, wanting to known what happened to the girl who was his godchild. But, as soon as he has done, the man leaves, and goes into one of the rooms on another floor, and reaches a single-size bed, where a young girl, a baby girl, a four years old, is crying, hugging her teddy bear, giving her back to a teenager, a black haired young man who's trying to consol her.

"c'mon Chris, I promise you that everything will end well, just, don't cry, please, ok? C'mon baby girl…"

"Well done, Tony, you're a good boy. She'll need your help in the future, but for now, there's nothing you can do to help her."

"I know Chrissy since she was born, my parents are her godparents…. She is like a little sis for me, her parents gave her my first name as a second name, too! I'll do whatever it takes to make her happy again, I don't need a man that I even don't know to say something like that!"

The man reaches the bed, and touches the forehead of both children, smiling sweetly "I've met her dad a long time ago, even before he married Tanya. I've always been interested in… in him and his family. You know, we had a lot in common, more than it meets the eye… like Christine and me, too. But what happened. She is too young. It's too soon, and she is not ready yet. But one day she'll be, and I'll need her at my side. One day, the world will need her. this is the reason she will never find out what happened to her parents, and that she had a sister…."

"What? Are mad or what, old man?" but, few seconds later, while he is leaving the mansion, no one remembers about him being there with them, neither of his very existence.

"Inspector, did she know that…." And Maria asks him, looking at the rain, again, like it was the first time she is doing it.

_Yesterday, __Boston__, 4 years later._

"did someone already told her?" Tony is walking through an empty corridor of an empty mansion, along side one of his friends, a certain Reed Richards, looking at his feet, eyes full of tears. It happened. He can't believe it. His parents… they died. And he has to tell it to his sister. He had promised Chris to protect her, years ago, but he wasn't able to… and now…and now…

Now it seemed that everything was going alright. After the death of her biological parents, Chris had adjusted herself to her new life sooner than expected, and now was their brightest star…. They really were a family, and she was… she simply was like her real dad, like him, like _their_ dad…. A genius. this was the reason they've decided to relocate to Boston for a while, to help the children to be able to study at MIT, where Tony has met Reed and few other like them.

"Hell, Reed, I don't know, I mean, she doesn't need someone to told her things, she simply… she knows them. I mean, she spends her time reading newspapers, logically she knows our parents died, what do you think? Good Reed, do you realise…. She is 8, reed, 8! And she has lost her real parents and now our parents too! It's not right! She doesn't have to get used to funerals! She already went to too many of them! She doesn't have to get used to funerals!"

As, moments later, they both arrive in front of a colonial mansion, they see a young girl, short brown hair, freckles all over her cheeks, tears from her semi closed eyes, sitting on the two steps in front of the house; when she notices their presence, them standing motionless in front of her, she just lifts her eyes a little, just to lower them again, without saying a single word, only sobbing, as Tony jumps ion front of the girl, and takes her in his arms, and they both do what they never did in the previous days…. They cry, desperate as never before, knowing too well that they are their only family left, that they have only each other now. That they are, and always be, family, at each other side.

_Tomorrow, __New York City__, the wedding of James Howlett. _

"And I've always thought that John Walker would be last…." James Rhodes and Starks are sitting together, not so distant from the aisle, where the former avenger and x-men is getting married with the love of his life, The woman he saved many times, making her whole again and giving her all his heart, letting her in so she could understand who she truly was and remember what she had to do in order the save them all, a woman who, now, after a battle to save the universe, is free from the influence of the "creature" that had been bounded to her for a way too long: Jean Grey, once Marvel Girl, then Phoenix… and now just only Jean. Smiling, the trio speaks at low voice, to not interrupt the long awaited ceremony, and, once in a long time, has fun, like when they were younger, like when problems were… different, when life was easy, or, at least, easier.

"C'mon, Tony, please… everybody had their money on you. Then on Clint, if he can count, considering that he was a widower…"

"Well, sis – he maliciously looks at her, with an evil smile – if being a widow count, then I think you have the right to know that the third one was you."

"Money? People were gambling about us being married?"

"Jim, please, tell me you're joking…"

"Sis, don't let him fool you. Who do you thin won the pool?"

"What? No way! I met Logan a long time before you! I know both of them, and I'm a telepath! I can't believe that you knew it while I didn't!"

"I'm just happy things are calm. When was the last time we got to celebrate without getting called away for a fistfight?"

"Wow, good question…. Chris?"

"I'm elaborating my data. I'm not so sure about it… it could be Clint and Bobby's wedding…."

"We weren't at his wedding, sis"

"I were. I mean, I was their friend…and we didn't have any problem. – Jim and Tony both look sarcastically and with a little of disbelief at her – ok, ok, I get it, I get it… well, maybe, then, it was when the Young Avengers took your place, becoming the actual Mighty Avengers?"

"I'm proud of them, of All of them. I'm not surprise, thought…. The goal was always for our kids to surpass us. And they've always showed us that they are able to do so."

_Yesterday, former Avenger mansion. The last day of Kang with the Young Avengers. _

"I…. I don't want to go…" all the presents look at scene, ready to cry, but they don't, they know that, if they'll do, he'll no longer will do what he has to.

"Shh…. Don't cry…. But, please…. You have to understand… - Cassie tells Iron Lad hugging him, crying, between kisses – if you don't go…."

"I know – he whispers her, kissing the girl for the last time – I know. I have to protect you. I'll try to not forget you. I know that you… you Cassie, will be the one I'll never forget."

**Have you seen, Chris? He was so strong and brave to decide to take the hard way…. I'm proud of him, but don't tell anyone, sis."**

_Don't you worry, Tony _she mentally tells him from a very distant point – _no one will ever know…._

_Tomorrow. __Washington__._

Kang stands in front of the White House, looking at the corpses at his feet…. The dying Thor, Cap, Iron Man, Miss Marvel and the others…

Between tears, Chris touches the hand of the Iron man, asking herself if her time has come.

"You had the possibility to make me a better person. To stop me. To avoid me from becoming Kang. You didn't do it. It's all your fault… and you'll pay for your mistakes." He says as he turns them his back.

_Yesterday, __Stark__Towers__._

"I'm… glad that you decided to return from England" Inside one of the apartments at Stark Tower, Tony Stark is approaching his younger sister, Christine, a mutant with many powers, former X-Men and Excalibur member known with the codename Blackdragon, just returned after more than a year; she disappeared immediately after the destruction of the Avengers, but now that the Civil War is over she is back, and Tony, now director of Shield, doesn't know if she is here for stay or if she wants only to remind him all his failures, both as man and a hero.

"Steve is dead, because you couldn't admit that he was right and you were wrong, and the same goes for Goliath, too. They are dead, and it's just your fault, because you have to stay under the lights and let people love you. If you will go on with this registration idiocy, more people will die. This is dangerous, Tony, too dangerous. And the most dangerous thing you can do is ask mutants to register. You can't ask my people to register just because we're born. Steve decided to be Cap. You decided to be Iron man. Clint decided to be Hawkeye. Hank decided to be whatever he is now. Scott Lang decided to be Ant-Man. Mutants don't decide what they are, Tony, it's how we are born. You are blessed. We are doomed."

"Xavier opened the school so that people like you…"

She stops him, turning towards the door, ready to leave, telling him just few more words. "Charles taught us to use and control our powers. He didn't pay us to follow his orders; I'm just waiting, Tony, to see all those Children from your precious Initiative been send to war by the U.S. government to stop some dictator the president doesn't like or is applying a too high price at his petrol."

"Are you saying that you are not going to register? Or are you simply say that you are going to leave."

"I'm saying, Tony – she says turning her head in the opposite direction, to not face him, and looking outside the windows of Stark Tower – that I'm going to stay here. I'm going to stay here because I want to be the one to stop you when the time will come."

"This time will not come, Chris, I promise you"

"Don't say that, Tony – she whispers – Ray lived this. Kitty saw this. We all know how it will end…"

"Becoming public employees makes perfect sense. It'll help people sleep a little easier. We'll be legitimate. Better trained. Publicly accountable- we don't want another Stamford…. Have you here, it's really important for me. It means a lot. And in my heart – he pauses, lowering his eyes – I just hope that you are here because you want to support me, to stay at my side…. – he pauses, taking her in his arms, hugging her from the back - I can't come back now, Chris, but I promise you that, with your help, I will do no more mistakes. Everything will end well, Chris. We'll be happy as we were when we were children…"

_Tomorrow, Otherwolrd._

"Chris, please, listen to me, at least this time… just answer my question: are you sure he is the one? When you married Alec you were happy, too, and look at how it ended… I just want you to be happy, ok?"

"You've met him, Tony, you've seen us together. You know he is the one. – Chris walks in the still empty church, eyes almost closed, followed by Tony and Clint Barton; she is dressed with a long scarlet wedding dress, while both men wear a tuxedo – besides, it's no different than her, Tony, and you know it. And the same count for you, Clint."

"That's not true, Chris, you know it. To be with him… you're giving up your life"

"We always give up something when we love, Clint. Is it different for you, Clint?"

"Of course it is, Chris. I didn't give up who I was to be with her."

"I don't want a life without him, I want a new one with him. I didn't ask you to come to give me your permission, but, please, just…"

"We support you, Chris – Tony starts again- and we'll be honoured to be presents at your wedding. But just… think about what you are sacrificing is nothing to laugh at."

"People changes, Tony – shat starts turning to look at him, caressing her brother's face – I know what I'm doing. I know what I'll leave behind, but it's what I want. I want a life with him… and I want you to be happy for me, and to know that I'm not going to abandon you. I'll always be at your side, when you'll need me."

_Yesterday, HQ of Excalibur._

As Kitty and Kurt enter in the apartment, they see Alec, sitting in the dining room, face in his hands, alone, looking at few old images on the table.

"I'm so sorry, Alec…." Kurt says, as Kitty goes near him and puts an hand on his shoulder, saying "If there's anything we can do…." they just learned, like the whole world, leaving out the fact that the world doesn't know that Iron Man was Tony Stark, and that his only little sister is that home…

"T…thank you, Kitty, you too, Kurt… Tony…. Chris doesn't know, but sometimes we spoke and he told me… he told me many times how grateful he was that Chris had people like you around."

"Where's she now?" Kurt asks, going near him.

"She… she is in our room, she hasn't stopped crying from the moment she knew…. She is closed inside, and doesn't even want to talk to me… she just says she wants to give away everything, the whole company…"

"She seemed so strong when we learned…. She is always so strong. But closing this up… to bury this… we always want our friends to understand us, but never like this." Kurt says, as Kitty goes in front of the room.

"Chris, open, please… we just want to know if you are ok or not…" Shadowcat says, as she enters, phasing through the door, and Kurt does the same teleporting inside, when she doesn't have answer, and, once inside, she sees Chris; She hugs the girl who's on the floor, desperate, almost hysterical.

"They were the Avengers… they were Hearth's mightiest… tell me it's not true… they are not gone… they are not… he's not…. My brother… ha can't be… I can't loose him too.. please Kitty… tell me it's just a joke…. They are alive.. they must be alive… they must come back – she pauses, then looks at Kurt, tears in her eyes – How did you do it, Kurt? How did you overcome your brother's death?"

"I hate to say this, Chris, but you get used to it."

_Tomorrow, Genosha, the rebirth of the mutant race._

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I can't believe there's still someone who wants to destroy us all." Charles starts, just to be completes by Erik.

"We worked so hard, we went through hell and back because we wanted to see our people live in pace, together. But someone is still so blind that can't understand what's going on. The pirates and the terrorists continue to attack us. We aren't a dangerous land now, we don't have any protection."

"Ok, I get it. we need to make people trust us, and, at the same time, convince them that we can defend ourselves if we are in danger. But why are you telling me this? I hope that you don't think that, just because I've Einstein I.Q. I can find a solution just snapping the fingers…"

"We already have a solution, Christine. We want to create a super-group here. We were thinking about an international agency, with liaisons with all the main governments of the planet, and the patronage of the U.N."

"But I suggested Charles to open a school for gifted children here, too. There are the X-men, sure, but there's need of something else, too…a new school, for a new era and for a new generation. We are seriously thinking about calling it "Tomorrow Academy", in honour of Sean Cassidy, and dedicate it to his memory."

"Don't take it the wrong way, Chris. We're not talking about a new Xavier Academy or a new Tomorrow Academy, it will be something totally different, where the will be normal humans and mutants as well."

"**_The Free Republic of New Genosha_** and its government will be officially presented at the next G8 that will take place here, in a couple of months. In that occasion, we'd like to introduce the group and the School to the world."

"If you are going to do this, you'll need SHIELD approval. After the Super-Hero Civil War in the U.S. almost 4 years ago my brother made sure to have the support of all the governments. There's a Super-Hero Registration Act in almost all the countries on the planet, the only reason Genosha hasn't been considered is that it was without a government, destroyed and abandoned... a ghost island. No one cared about it."

"You don't have to worry about SHIELD, Chris – Charles sweetly tells her placing a hand on her right shoulder, as she faces both the men – it's something we will care about, we are already taking contacts with UN, Shield and some governments. All you will have to do is recruiting few "civilians". We already have few names, especially the ones that will be under their government patronage; we have few other names, too, and you can think about the other ones. After all, thanks to your status quo of former X-Woman, reserve of the Avengers, former member of Excalibur and member of the scientific community, you have contacts with most of the heroes in the world…"

"we're not asking you to guide the group – Erik assures her, reading her eyes, and seeing, if not fear, something he knows the girl stopped to feel a long ago, but frustration, maybe, unhappiness, and worry – we are asking you, thanks to your contacts, to make the calls, and choose few names, that's all. Guiding is something we know you don't feel comfortable with, you are better in following orders, this is the reason you've always been behind someone else. You will not have to guide the **_Extremes_**, you'll simply have to help us to form them, my child."

"Extremes?" she asks, corned, as she is already living, turning her head in direction of the men at her back.

"Extremes Security Force, with the "E" in front of the X, to make people understand that we aren't only mutants. – Charles explains her – shortly, it's Extremes, or ESF, but I'd personally prefer Extremes. This way, we mix some pieces of the past together, creating something new, for a new future and a new world."

_Tomorrow, __New York__. Hell's Kitchen._

"I'm glad you came back" Jim Rhodes is sitting on the top of a building, a skyscraper, in his armour, his helmet in his hands, looking at it, as a woman in the middle of her 30s sits near him, dressed with a costume, something in gipsy style.

"How could I not? It's my brother we're speaking about… - she pauses, looking at the rain falling from the sky – is it true what the Initiative said? That he went down…"

"It' s lie, he went underground for years."

"So, how'd he finally go?"

"in the only way he knew, Chris… fighting."

She turns her attention from the man to the rain again, and Jim isn't able to understand if what's falling on her face is rain or tears…

"In the end, he hated me" she finally says.

"That's not true"

"It is true. Even in the end, always so damn stubborn…"

"Chris, if he really hated you that much, he wouldn't have spent all those years trying to be more like you. – he pauses, taking the girl in his arms – you were his brightest star. Even reed knows it."

"That's nice, Jim, but it isn't damn true. Rest in peace, Tony, more than anyone, you earned it"

_Today, __London__._

"I think with our 3 recruits we'll have our core team sorted, though." Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom and Alistaire Stuart, head of the scientific branch of MI-13 are inside the training room, checking Brian's last performances, and see how he is doing after his comeback from the death; the invasion has just finished, and they are still dealing with the consequences.

"One recruit I knew, but the other two? Who are these new recruits you keep talking about, Pete?" Brian asks, crossed arms, as Alistaire and Pete are controlling his last readings.

Wisdom just smirks, as he walks outside the building, standing at the door, with Brian at his side, questioning; then, a car stops, and, in the rain, form it, two figures emerges, a black man and a woman.

"Welcome to Britain, Mr. Brooks." Pete says to the man, giving him his hand, that he refused.

"Rain makes the circuits in the hand unreliable. Don't care for it. When do I meet the team?" he only asks, entering in the building, as Wisdom and Brian stand in disbelief, not daring to follow him inside, not for fear, but they simply can't get him; soon the expressions on their faces changes, turning into a satisfied one the one on Pete's, and in a stunned one the one on Brian's.

"Welcome back home, luv – he says as he takes the wet girl in his arms and kisses her on the lips, not caring if Brian is seeing them, taking by surprise her, too, and then lifting her chin with one of his hands, as she smiles at him, like she hasn't done in a long time – told you I was waiting for you, petal. I missed you." He says, starting to walk at arms with her, followed by Brian, in Blade's direction.

"I'm glad you come back, Chris. We're together, again, like the old times… well, not together like you and Pete are… I even didn't realise you were together."

"Spies, Brian. There are things we are good at." Brian smiles, seeing the expression on Pete's face, how Chris suddenly is changing his mood. He knows Pete from a long time. He knows he's taken John's death really hard, though he won't show it, and he can't help but be happy for it; but he can't help but see that Chris is looking at Blade, with a serious and cold expression, and that Pete is seeing that, too.

_Luv? What's up? What's the matter?_

_I don't like it, Pete. I don't like him… he will only bring problems._

_Well, if he will be a problem, there will always be you here to stop him, right my luv? _he mentally says, looking at her, smiling, sweetly... knowing that this is only the beginning.

Continuing in Blackdragon 19!

Accessing Data File - Subject: Blackdragon

Real Name: Christine "Chris" Marie Antoinette Stark (also known as Christine Johnson or Christine Addison)

Aliases: Blackdragon

Height: 5'7''

Weight: unknown (presumably around 123 lbs.)

Eyes: Hazelnut

Hair color: Brown

First Appearance: Blackdragon 01

Joined the X-men in : Blackdragon 01 (mentioned to be at the mansion soon after the Onslaught saga)

Currently in: Blackdragon, as part of Shield's Initiative and MI-13 support character

Known Relatives: Michael and Tanya Johnson (Biological parents, deceased); unnamed older sister [mentioned in Blackdragon Annual 01] ; Howard and Mari Stark (adoptive parents, deceased); Tony Stark/Iron Man (adopted Brother); Alec Addison (husband, deceased).

profession: Heroine; scientist (expert in physicist, cybernetic, electronic and mechanical)

Groups affiliation : Currently MI-13 and SHIELD; Initiative; X-men; Excalibur; Xavier's security service.

Powers :*psionic powers include telepathic abilities to sense, broadcast and detect thought patterns, alter the physical or mental perceptions of others, manipulate the functions of the human body, cast human minds into the astral plane

*telekinetic abilities allow her to levitate herself or other objects, propel or manipulate them however she wishes, stimulate and modify the molecular structure of some objects (like the instable molecules of her uniforms) , and generate concussive force or protective shields

*computer-like mind able to record everything she thinks and perceives, summon any stored data at will for total recall and kinetic memory, run multiple simultaneous thought processes, interact with computer mainframes at an equal-or-greater rate of computing, and perform highly accurate analysis of her surroundings, enabling her to anticipate and counter physical attacks on reflex or concoct elaborate conclusions and strategies with great speed

Alternate Version: *In the timeline known as the **Days of Future Past**, Chris along many other mutants and heroes during the "sentinel reign";

*In the Universe known as "the age of Apocalypse", Christine Stark was Howard and maria's second child and biological daughter; taken by Sinister's men when she was only a little child immediately after she developed at an early age her mental powers, she had been experimented on by both him and dark beast, who turned her into a humanoid-like dragon with black skin; years after the trasformation, she was finally able to escape thanks to the help of the X-men member Blink; months after the liberation, Chris, now known as "The Blackdragon", confronted her older brother about the fact that he was ready to sacrifice mutants - including her - to save the humans

*Fifteen years in the future, in the same reality Genext is set in, Chris and -presumibly - Pete Wisdom's children are shown attending the insitite; twins Maria Elizabeth "Mari" and Robert James "RJ" just says to Ollie that "their parents once batteled Shadow X and even their mum thought killing them was a good idea, and she even wasn't a memeber of SHIELD back then".

*In a near future where Mutant gene has been re-established by the High Evolutionary, Chris is shown to fly around the world to help Xavier and Magneto to reunite a group of heroes to protect genosha; she was mentioned to be a teacher.

*There is no mention, at now, of a Christine Stark in the Ultimate Universe.

* In a reality similar to the one shown in Iron Man the movie, Chris Stark was a techo-telepath, who works under Fury with the code name Sage; she convinces her brother to join the Avengers and hleps him in creating a War machine Armor for Rhody; she is rumored to be the lover of fellow SHIELD agent Wisdom.

*Although is clear that there was a House of M version of Blackdragon, Chris has still to learn what her role in those world was.

* * *

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you soon!**  
**


	19. Dark Reign The Xmen: SFX

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel

Author's note: I noticed soemthing was misisng, while I was writing Hell comes to Birmingham, and so I decided to write this little thing, just to let people know... well, you'll see. for the continuit notes, I'll explain better what I tried to do at he end of the chapter. Good reading!

* * *

18. DARK REIGN- SFX

"Madam Major, I hope you'll understand that the psychic blindfold is only a security measure… a necessary security measure, if I may add." A couple of days after the end of the invasion, Scott Summers greets, in company of some of his fellows X-Men, the major of San Francisco, carried inside the "hidden" new headquarter by non other than Ororo Munroe, better known as Queen Ororo of Wakanda and as the X-Woman code-named Storm, the goddess and queen of weather.

"Oh, believe me, it was worth it. I've never met a Queen, let alone been carried by one! – she says, than paused a little, greeting and shaking hands with them – Mr. Summers, Miss Frost, it's good to see you again."

"we know you told us we could choose to stay in SF proper – Scott says as they starts walking in direction of the main building – but we choose the Marin Headlands for many reasons; hard to get to, built with military spec; not densely populated"

"Ant it's San Francisco – Emma stops them, glaring, shining in glorious white – rents are positively astronomical, even for super-hero millionaires like us."

"Tell me about it…" the woman in her 40s says, as Scott takes her for ah arm and guides her inside-all of them inside, continuing his speech.

"C'mon, it's still a work in progress, but I'd like to show you what we're trying to built here, and meet few friends… and, speaking of super-hero and millionaires…"

As they enter inside the hangar, they are welcomed by all the kinds of vehicles, structures still in progress, workmen and a couples of people working on few computers and cables and this sort of thing, a man – sort of – a lion-like man, blue fur, dressed in black and yellow leather, and a young woman, in her middle 20s, black leather trousers and a black leather t-shirt with a yellow x-men logo , middle-long brown hair and black eyes.

"Your Honor, a pleasure. Hank McCoy, the scientist. - The former Avenger says, acting as the usual gentleman Hank as always been – and let me introduce you to the millionaire, Miss Christine Stark Johnson" the major then leaves hank's hand and passes to Chris' one, shaking it in the same way she did before with her team-mate.

"Millionaire and scientist. – she clarifies smiling but not so happy, bruises evident on the part of her skin exposed - Glad to meet you, Madame. It's a pleasure and a honour."

"I've heard of you, you were in New York when… when it happened, right? I think I saw you with the Avengers… are you a member of the X-men, too?"

"Miss Stark – Emma clarifies stealing the major from Chris – was part of the X-men, and is always available when the X-Men need help… over all if is related with her loved high technology and the money she is so kind to help us with."

"So, you already saw the tunnels, the hangar, the weapon ranges and the power ranges…" Scott says, looking a little thoughtful, eyes pointed to the ceiling.

"And the tech and bio labs – Hank continues, same look on his face – the Gym, the N.O.C., the…."

"People, please – Says Warren landing inside the building, approaching them – our beautiful Sadie is a woman, and you, boys, can't show her just your clubhouse… Darling, follow me, please, I'd like to show you something… - As they approach a gigantic window, with view on the bay. He puts an arm around her shoulders, showing her the landscape – the wouldn't let me buy the whole bay, so I simply bought the best view I've ever seen…"

"Ehm…" he turns, hearing both Emma and Chris tossing at the same time.

"Oh, yes… well, I bought it, along with the others millionaire super heroes of the group…"

"That's so… so perfectly fantastic… – she says, not only smiling, but shining well, eyes still focused on the whole picture she is looking at from the windows – welcome to San Francisco, X-Men." But, suddenly, Sadie changes, and her smile becomes a worried expression, a concerned one, her eyes darken as her fingers skim over the glass.

"Sadie, what's happening? You already changed your mind?" Asks her Warren, staying few steps at her back, not daring to come too close to her, like he was fearing rejection, and not a personal one – but rejection towards his "species".

"The fact is… there's something else, something I need to tell you… and I want you to know that we are very pleased by your presence here, and we are all very sensitive to your plight, and you have to understand that this isn't silent approval or nothing like that…"

"Major, please - Scott says, as the woman has just turned to look at them, facing the not-so-old-woman, eyes in eyes – there's… an artist, his name is Guy DeMondue, and, with all the mutant activity in town, he has been inspired, and he created a piece… a piece inspired by one of your darkest time… - she pauses, lowering her eyes a little – ha took 3 mark 1 decommissioned sentinels, making them the centre of an installation in downtown… ha has called it, "Mutant Kitsch"…"

For a while, everyone remains silent in the room, shocked, at open mouth, then, everyone starts not just to speak, but to yell as well, anger and pain in their voices, broken by interior tears and sufferance.

"What…." Logan is the only one able to remain a little "coherent", almost whispering at low voice, eyes as open as his voice is.

"Sadie, C'mon… 20 foot tall death machines…" Angel says, followed by McCoy, who seems to end his sentence "…. Who are genocidal robots no more artful than an A-Bomb….". after them, both and Emma and Chris speak, the tremble and the rage in their voices are better visible than in the others' ones, since they know too well how it feel to have a sentinel flying on your heads, killing everyone you ever cared about.

"And what about the banal and predictable "shock schlock" that was passé in New York 10 years ago?" Emma says for first.

"And Genosha? 16 millions died because mark one sentinels! Or it doesn't matter because they were only mutants and you are just a pack of hypocrites? You don't know what it feel to know that… that those things are hunting you! You've never been close to death because of them!"

Suddenly, Sadie comes back to her cold and mature self, facing them again, as she faces them as the business woman she is and has always been. "please, I feel it appalling with every fiber of my being, me too… but it's impossible to personally agree with everything that goes on in this town… but I have to defend his right to go on."

"with all due respect, Mayor, we don't care how decommissioned you think they are… they are still sentinels, and those things have been killing my friends since I was a teen. A couple of us was in Genosha when it happened… we'll be there, when it will start. The X-Men will be there."

_**Two nights later, San Francisco, the installation**_

"Only few weeks ago, I was used to go to this sort of things, but, you know, I usually wear my regular clothes, and not an uniform…-Chris says telepathically, talking with all the other X-Men, as they all do, dressed with the same black Kevlar and leather uniform she is wearing at the new hq, as she enters in the installation along with the other X-Men, looking at the giant Sentinels with a mix of apprehension, fear and disgust in her heart - At least, even the protesters are showing us some solidarity… and respect. If you can call "respect" the protesting in our costumes…"

"That's retarded, and, by the way, dear Christine –Emma answers her, as she waslk side by side with her fiancé - even them are making me grinding on my last nerve."

"You sure I can't just kill them all? C'mon, Slim, let me just give a scar to this gee dude, he deserves this, at least…"

"Logan, we're no here for this, but, if anyone of you meet him… I wouldn't complain if you'll make him wet his pants."

"Glad you developed a sense of humour, Scott, because right now I just wish to… to do what Logan wanted to do to this jerk." Chris says, facing the sentinels.

"Seeing them makes me so hungry… right now I don't know what else to do, but laugh." He confesses both to Emma and Chris, as the last starts to walk away from them, just to turn when she hears Emma "arguing" with a male voice. As she does this, she sees the blonde former hellfire white queen who's facing a man…

"You have Cyclops' new look… I went with a classic, Professor X, but without the wheelchair, too much hassle…"

"you know, I'm sure the Professor would agree" Emma says in an annoyed tone.

"You all.. you are actually them! Ehy, can I get the autographs of the team?"

"Can we lobotomize him? Just a quick mind-wiping, quick and easy… -Chris says, looking at the man with eyes full of what Charles always told her to not feel towards baseline humans… hate. As she is grinning evilly, ready to inflict maybe just a little of pain, or made him cry, or calling for his mother like a child, they all turn, as they hear Colossus' scream, and, as they see him "flying" in the air, they notice a well known figure in front of him, lifted in the air, near the 3 sentinels, light irradiated from his body, and, in the same moment Magneto shines in all his glory the 3 sentinels do the same… -we're under attack?"

prepare to face your doom, mutants… the sentinels have returned! they say at the same time.

"My sentinels, attack!" The former brotherhood leader says, looking from the above to Xavier's pupils.

"They won't deliberately kill humans, but, as long as we are around, no one's safe!" Scott screams at them, as, close to him, the telepaths receive the order.

"On it, Scott. we'll suggest them to came back home…."

"Chris, leads the sentinels away from here…"

"I can help you in taking care of magneto, Scott. – Chris interrupts him, knowing where he wants to go - I've worked for him, back then. And me around sentinels? Not exactly a good idea…"

"Emma, the sentinels are up to you. team, magneto tactic. Response team, you're with me!"

_**(later) **_

"So many questions you must have, so many mysteries… infuriating, isn't it? Get used to it. Life is full of these little – magneto says sending away McCoy, who just tried to hit him at his back - disappointments!"

At the same time, Kurt appears at his side, just teleported, and, like his predecessor, Erik hits him, too. "You're just pathetic. – he says as Scott tries to hit him with his visor's rays, shielded again, as well – child's play. And you call yourself a leader?"

"No – he says as lightings strike, ready to hit him – I call myself a distraction"

"Oh, please, Scott. – he says avoiding her powers as well – I've been around you for more than 10 years. I know you. I'll not allow you to interfere with my plans…you know what's your problem, Summers? You attack, then you think. You focus on what's in front of you, without paying attention to what's at the sides." But, as he complains with Scott about this attitude, he does the same, taken by surprise by Cannonball's sudden arrival at his back, in flight, resulting in the both of them colliding, and ending at the soil, meters and meters later, with the former brotherhood leader on his knee, close to the sentinels, his costume in pieces, faced by the now reunited entire team… revealing the entire truth about the comeback of his powers.

"Scott… the sentinels didn't attack him. He isn't a mutant, he didn't get his powers back…. He was just faking it." Chris says as they are all looking at the man.

"I know, Blackdragon – Scott says coming closer to his opponent - Give us the suit, it's ours to study know. You did it, magneto, and we'll find a way to avoid you from doing it again."

"Erik, this is brazen, even for you. What the hell were you hoping to accomplish here?" Chris says in front of him, o her knew, facing him. She ahs been at his side, once, although it was just an order by Xavier's. she was in Genosha, then, like Emma, like many others.

"Of all, you must be the one who could understand me more, Dr. Addison – he says, turning to face her, removing his helmet, calling her with her lost husband's name, like to hurt her, to make her remember what happened to him - it was the symbol of our genocide, and I was trying to destroy it. Don't tell me you didn't want to do it yourself. – again he pauses, turning towards Scott, anger in his eyes, shouting at the young man - you play king of the mountain, but you're just a boy, boss around the dregs of a dying race, on knee before those who would see you driven before them…. I-SHALL-MYSELF-SAVE-MUTANTDOM! What makes you think you're qualified to be vanguard of an entire endangered species? You just played as I wanted you to…remember, boy, I always have the upper hand, and if you'll stay in my way, you'll be the one who'll kill our race. Stay away from me, children. It's not a request – he says disappearing – Blackdragon, you disappointed me. I had faith on you…"

**_the next day, X-Men hq_**

We want you all to know, the X-men are alive, and San Francisco is a mutant sanctuary. You mutants, your families, are all invited here, to join us. You'll know the safety and the protection our kind has never known… Scott smiles, as the joined efforts of Emma, Chris and the cuckoos broadcast his thoughts to the all the known mutants of the planets, friends and foes, young and old. When it's over, Chris is the first one to came back inside, turning sometimes to look at the view. Once she is in front of the door, Kurt appears in front of her, violet smoke and one of the worst smell she has ever felt – although she is kind of used to it. "Tell me, Fraulein Stark, you are planning to join us here, ja?"

"Sorry Kurt, but I'm leaving. Things are not good in New York, my brother is unreachable and…"

Hank approaches her, putting an hand on one of her shoulders, stopping her, making her turning totally at him.

"And then, I think our dear Christine could desire to be at Janet Van Dyne's service, don't you, my dear? Carol and Simon called me, it's scheduled in 4 days. – she freezes, as they start to walk side by side, along the stairs – Miss Marvel asked me how you felt, and I told her you were doing well, that, considering all your ups and downs and all the changes you are having, you are taking it well enough."

"So, doc, what's the result? Extremis? Mutation?"

"I've checked your genetic history. There's a string that started to change immediately after the extreme exposure to radioactive substances in Genosha. This is what started the mutation. But I find it extremely hard to believe that's just a case that you developed a mutation so close to the one developed by your brother, or It could be that the prolonged exposition to high technology and the electromagnetic fields that are so generated triggered the manifestation of this new powers… technically speaking, you're becoming very like our beloved lost Sage…"

"And so? What's the diagnosis?"

"You are good, but stay in check with me and pay attention to mayor stress. You don't know what your powers could do, and, over all, what could do to you. Be careful, and be ready… it could not be over yet."

* * *

Note: from SFX part one, better known as Uncanny 500. tecnically, It's set BEFORE New Nation - both my version and the official one. i know that it kinda of happened before the invasion, but i thought that it could suits better this way..... and then, it's my continuity, right?

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with Hell comes to Birmingham in more or less **a month! **and this time, for real!


	20. Dark Reign : New Nation

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel .

**Note : Spoiler for Mighty Avengers 20 and Iron man 8.  
**

* * *

19. DARK REIGN- NEW NATION

New York, two weeks after the Invasion…

"Tony, are you ok?" it's been weeks from the invasion, and, as they are preparing to leave the former Addison's mansion, what once was her husband's, Alec's house in NY, where she and her first love lived for a while, she can't help but try her best to avoid crying. It's been weeks, and still Tony refuses to say a single world: to Pepper, to Maria, to Jarvis, even to her; Chris hasn't left her brother side since, she has seen him, what he keeps doing, looking at all the bottles that where at home and she make disappear, knowing too well what her brother's personal hell is. She keeps talking, talking with her own voice, her psysical voice, the one she almost never uses, a voice full of pain, of tears, a voice that shows how devastated the young woman is. "Tony, please, talk to me, tell me som…." She even can't end the sentence, forced to leave to open the door, fearing to see Osborn or one of his Thunderbolts, but, surely, not the person standing in front of her: Pete Wisdom is surely the last man she is expecting to see at her door at eight in the morning, in New York. They don't say a sole word, they remain silent, looking in the eyes, and, soon, everything that has been on her shoulders hits her, she can no more keeps it, she can't stand, it's too much, and, crying, silently, she jumps in his arms, hiding her face in his white shirt, forgetting everything, all the past. The past, the present, nothing matters at all, just her, him, and her fragile body in his virile chest. As she cries, he does as he knows she wants, he caresses her brown hair, reassuring her, kissing her forehead as they collapse on the terracotta floor on their knees.

"I didn't… I didn't think you were going to….." she says between tears, still hidden in his shirt. He looks at her with the sweetest eyes, he keeps reassuring her, his hands on her head, silencing her.

"Sshhhh… it doesn't matter anymore, the past is just gone… I'm here Chris, I'm not going anywhere, I'm here for you…this time I'm not going to let you down."

"Glad you made it, Wisdom" As she hears her brother's voice, the first time in days, she finally stops to cry, and turns in order to look at him, the man who raised her, standing in the entrance, not cold, just… she can't see through him, she doesn't try it, and for more than a reason, but it's like… it's like Tony is empty, like what happened took away everything from him.

"what…- she tries to say, dividing her eyesight between two of the most important men in her life, not knowing if being angry or simply shocked - what the hell… what does it mean, what were you two up to?"

"it's not what you think, love, I'm here just for you…. I had to do a couple of recruitments, and I came to see you, I knew you needed me, although what happened between us…- He can't end the sentence, it's his turn now, since she stands and leaves, going directly in her room, closing the door at her back – love, please, listen to me… I know I have the tendency to screw things up, but I need you… please, come with me and I promise that everything will be different this time… we will be together both at work and at home, I'll not hide my feelings this time, I'll not screw things up this time… c'mon Chris, please… leave that damn room of yours and come here to talk to me…" as he says so, she exits from her room, the same she used to stay when she was married, dressed in black, and, with eyes on the soil, she whispers just few words, without looking at them, unable to help but think that the two of them were up to something, that they set things in her place. As always, she thinks, since Tony has planned her whole life, and still now, he keeps doing it. "We've a funeral to attend now…"

"Chris…"

"Not now Pete, please, not now…"

"Christine, please, listen to Wisdom. he is right, maybe not for the right reasons, but he is damn right." She turns her head in another direction, not having the strength or the courage to look at the two black haired men in front of her.

"I thought you were the one wanted me at his side, like when we were children, and now that I'm here, you push me away?"

"I don't want to put your life in danger. People hates me, they'll come for the information I have. They'll try to get to you to get to me."

"Well, big bro, guess what? I can take care of myself! And now, if you want to excuse me, I've got somewhere else I need to be."

Later….

"I keep asking myself, what would Janet think of all of this? I think she would ask… how could you do this?" Iot has been days after the end of the invasion, and now, all the world has come to murn her, the one she died because the others could live, they all are her to murn her. that, includes her former husband, the man she loved for many years, her "take-and leave" man, Hank Pym, the man who has come to life again after more than two years, after seeing the light again, after so many time on a spaceship. And it includes Tony Stark, the man that many see as the only reposable for what happened, former head of the world turning into nothing. Sitting at his sides, his former deputy, maria Hill, and his sister, Chris. As hgank starts to speak, tony lowers his eyes, starting to look at the soil, as his sister take his right in her left, silently tearing in her heart for what's happening.

"I'll ask for her, how could you do this? I'm asking you, Tony! How could you do this? How could you let it happen? how? Tell me! I want… I need to know! You killed Goliath! You killed Captain america, you killed my janet! But here you are, standing alive among us! Let's see, who will be next? Are you going to kill your family, too? You even had the courage to put your own sister's life in jeopardy for your own good, because you wanted to show the world you were right about the registration… Who will be next, Tony, who, your sister, maybe? Will you understand what you did, your arrogance, when you'll loose her, when she'll die for your mistakes?" Most of the assembly remains silent, while many of them too many, claps at what the scientist has just done, the same scientist that has just been escorted out of the church, in the sky, by the man, the God, who had to kill the woman of his life in order to save the whole planet, the lord of Asgard, Thor.

Tony, he didn't mean…

I know what he meant. He meant what he said, nothing more, nothing less, and he is damn right. You know it, you too.

Tony, you know Hank. He is mentally weak… he spend more than a year being studied and experimented on and who knows what else by aliens, and once he comes back his wife dies… he is not in his mind, he is suffering of a massive PTSD…

Whatever…

Tony, please…

Just, Chris, please, let's go…

As Hank leaves, the cerimony comes to an end, and, silently, with their full respect, they leave; Tony is one fo the first, followed immediately by Maria, while his younger adoptive sister, dressed with a black Valentino tailleur, black sunglasses on her eyes to protect them and to interface her new inner powers with the world, stays a little far from him, from everybody. She is still shaking, after days, she still hears the screams, she still hears them dying in her mind. She isn't able to focus, she even doesn't feel someone at her back, not until he touches her shoulder, stopping her, forcing her to turn and look at him, at them.

"You all right, princess?- he asks her, smiling and taking her in his arms, as again she ménages to pull back the tears. –I take it as an ok. I think that you remember Bobbi?" he says as they pull apart, showing one of the two women, two young blondes, with him.

"Nice to see you again, Bobbi. It's been a lifetime." She says as she offers her right to Clint's wife.

"Yeah, well, if Clint hadn't told me it was you, I couldn't recognize you… last time I saw you, Clint was guiding you to the aisle, and you merely were 18."

"And now I'm almost 27. 10 years fly."

"I saw your boyfriend in the crowd. What's Pete Wisdom doing here, princess? I thought you broke up with him after…"

"It's a pause, we didn't go separate ways or whatever."

"Her boyfriend? What about Alec? Don't tell me you divorced! You were so perfect together; he was, like your soul mate!"

"Alec's dead." She merely answers.

"Simon told me Hank… Beast called him, he asked him if we knew where you were, 'cause he was looking for you. Did you get to talk to him, then?" Carol, the other blonde, asks her, trying to change to subject, forgetting that she maybe doesn't want to talk about this thing, too.

"are you going to relocate in Frisco, seriously? I thought you told Scott and Emma that… "

"No. the bosses and me have never and never will be cool. Don't forget who I am, Clint, and who I'm loyal to." she coldly answers, crossed arms, turning to Carol.

"Then, why…."

"Secondary mutation, he confirmed it. it's not Extremis related, since he examined my DNA just to find out that I'm not among the ones that posses the gene that allows human beings to be healthy carriers. "

"do you feel better?"

"Carol, don't help her to beat around the bush, please. I've know her longer than you. So, please, for once, stop to act like a Stark and talk to me like we used to – Clint says entering again in the conversation – again, I saw your boyfriend in the crowd. Are you going to join him, are going to follow him, even after everything he did to you?"

"Pete just did what it had to be done"

"marrying the fairy princess, I can understand it, although I don't like it, but if he really loved you as he said, why then he took another girl as his… his mistress? If he really loved you…."

"I know what he did, I know he married Think immediately after I come back here, I know he wanted to keep things quiet, I know he kept saying he loved me but slept with both Think and Maureen, so please, shut your damn mouth, okay? I don't know what I'm going to do! I was trying to rebuilt my life, and now, everything my dad build in his life, all the sacrifices Howard did, are gone because of Osborn, because he is keeping them away from me!" she shouts at him verbally, looking in his blue eyes, directly, without hesitation, tears coming down her hazelnut ones, inch part from his face. He remains cold for n instant, mad at her, for the fact that she just jumped at his throat, but then, then he remembers, he remembers how she is, how she acts, that she screams verbally only when she is feeling something is tearing her apart, and, as Clint Barton, former Hawkeye, lowers her eyes and is going to take her in his arms, something she is waiting for from years, he knows that's what is happening to her: her world is falling into pieces, and she isn't able to cope with it, to connect with this new reality. This is how she has always felt, always in the wrong place at the wrong moment.

"Clint, give the girl a break, okay? Chris needs…"

"No, Carol, don't defend me. It's just that… We all just need to get out of here, to be able to think straight again. I'm sorry if I, well, jumped at your throat, but it's just that…. – she says lowering her head and putting her hands in the pockets of the jacket, just to look at then again – everything's happening so fast, together, at the same time… and it's too much. In a bit more than a year, Genosha has been completely destroyed, I lost Alec, Charles' dead twin sister took his place among the X-Men and revealed the truth about us, the Charles come back and Magneto appears pretending to be a so-called healer called Xorn, he revealed the truth, destroyed Ny and killed Jean, Scarlet lost control and went mad, she killed you, destroyed Vision and everything else, Nick Fury went into hiding for the entire Secret war thing, the Avengers disassembled, they reformed, Wanda changed the world and I'm not even sure I existed there, Apocalypse come back and took 3 of us as his horsemen, the Civil War, Cap's death, the Hulk's war, Kitty is somewhere is space, maybe dead, Rachel's whole family has been killed and she is looking for revenge, the X gene has been erased and we're not sure there will be again mutant births, Bishop tried to kill the first mutant after M day and killed Professor X in the process, now this and I'm 100% sure I'm forgetting something. Now tell me, do you really expect me to be quiet and good and cool?"

"You know what, Chris? You are right, this is just the point of the iceberg of the worst two years of our lives… so, if you ladies will excuse me, I've got a person I need to talk to, since this is really a way too much for my own taste…. - he says as he leaves them and goes in direction of the man Bill and Hilary Clinton are speaking with, shaking hands with tears of joy and emotion and a sense of pride – Aren't you Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin?"

"Clit, not now, please, not you too…" carol says as she tries to stop him, taking him for an arm, as Chris des, too, although just verbally.

Listen to her. We already had enough of hank, and I don't need you to play the knight in shining armor for me.

"You should listen to the ladies, Mr? I don't think I recognize you…"

"Clint Barton, Avenger"

"Not unless you're registered with my Thunderbolts Initiative or hammer. And that reminds me that you'll have 24 hour to register or you and your friends will have t deal with the consequences."

"Raelly? Now I'm really scared. Ehy, by the way, why are even here? Everybody knows you hate superheroes, no, wait, just the ones with a bit of sense left."

"It's a matter of respect, Mr. Barton… you should try it some, you too."

"well, then good things we're in a church, or I'd tell you to go to screw yourself!"

"Clint, stop it! this isn't nor the place or the time for this!" Chris says as she takes him for an arm and guides the blonde avenger in direction of the two blondes.

"Really lovely… by the way, miss Stark, the same goes for you. I know you already registered once the Superhero act become law, but I'd like you to confirm your loyalty to our country. Someone could think that you, being a Stark, will not be in the right place, and I'm ready to give you a chance."

"You mean – she says turning to him and leaving Clint's arm – that I have to confirm my loyalty to you, right Osborn? Well, guess what Osborn? You can try to take everything that once belonged to Howard, everything that Tony gave me, buy you'll never have me, I'd rather die that say on camera that I've faith in you. You know what, Clint's right… go screw yourself, damn fucking bastard! I hope next time you'll not be so lucky, and hell would not send you back again. I swear to God, Osborn, the day it will happen, I'll come to dance on your grave, and the sooner it is, the better it is!" she screams at him, a voice full of anger, anger that stayed in her for eyes , and that she is leaving free, free for the very first time in a long time, and she is doing it – she has decided to do it - in public, right before his face, inch apart from him, before she wants him to know that he isn't going to beat her.

"Enough, both of you! Stop it! This isn't the place for it!" Carol says as she takes Clint for an arm and Chris for the other one, guiding them away from the public, from Osborn, leaving them unable to see his face, his expression, the arrogance, the hate, the need to win over them, to have his real victory, his total victory…

"How the mighty gave fallen… have you seen them, Sir?" Miss Hand, Osborn's personal assistant, tells him, at his back. Neither she is seeing his face, and maybe now neither Norman knows exactly what's going on in his mind…

3 Days Later, Hell's kitchen.

She is walking in the dark streets of Hell's kitchen, and God only knows why she is doing it, since she doesn't. She happened to be there, she didn't know how, nor why. She simply keeps walking, with the disguise she created using both technology and her mental powers; Chris Stark is an almost 27 years old woman with brown eyes and hair, the most common plain Jane in the world, she knows she is nothing of special, but right here right now she is a 20 something tall long haired blonde with dark blue eyes and a heart-attack body, dressed like the girls use to when they go to dance in the coolest place in town, but this isn't the coolest place in town, this is Hell's kitchen, the place where you don't want to receive any kind of attention, especially the one waiting for her.

"Say it. Say the two magic little words to me, and you'll not feel any pain. – as she I slowly walking, eyes on her feet, she feels it, no, not feel, it simply happens. She didn't feel his presence at all, he kept her at her back, without she could even noticing he was there, waiting for her – say Kill Me, Stark, and I promise you'll not feel any pain. I'll be a good boy, I swear." She knows this man, she knows he will play with her, to see how long it will need to her body to die, or before her soul gave up. She knows he'll maintain his promise. Bullseye will kill her, sooner or later, and, besides, she is not in the mood for die.

As a smirk appears on her face, he feels she doesn't fear him, her full body is relaxed, calm, quiet, like nothing is happening at all, and then, he sees it, he sees that his blade isn't touching her throat, although he is trying his best to press it against the pale skin. In the same moment, the illusion disappears, leaving place to the real deal, the one and only, the brown-head Christine Antoinette "Chris" Stark, dressed with just a black t-shirt and jeans.

"You know – he says satisfied, as an invisible force-field sends him against a wall and the young woman starts to runaway in the dark alleys– I was hoping you had a little fight left in you!" The killer for hire immediately jumps on his feet again, and starts to run after her, trying to hit her with everything he has in his pocket, like a series of spin bullets that hit her more than once, leaving her powerless.

As she in jumping on a wall, he hits her back with Elektra's dagger, taking her by surprise, and, as she loses blood, a lot of dark red blood, she can't do nothing more than craws until she finds the nearest entrance of the sewers. "'bout time someone clipped your wings, little birdie"

"Dragons are reptile, you idiot" she says as she uses her physical strength to open the entrance with what is remaining of her energy.

"What did you just… wait! Where do you think you are going? Damn!" but she already gone, trapped inside the tunnel, closed by a small explosion she generated thanks to the little tricks she has always in her pocket.

"Moonstone! Tell me where this damn tunnel goes!"

"You lost her, bullseye?"

"I didn't loose her, just tell me where the tunnel goes and I'll find her again"

"Forget it, there's no map at all and no cameras. Come back here, we'll have our open soon. Moonstone out." Damn she thinks, as she closes the connection just to open a new one, with Venom, who,like Bullseye, is on field, not too far away from the other assassin. "Venom, we can't let Bullseye screw things up, there's too much at stake for Norman. Take care of the witch, hunt her, do what you want, but he needs her alive…for now. Understood?"

"Clear…."

Minutes later, or hour later, she is still there, walking, pressed against the wall, bleeding, without any energy left. She doesn't know how long she stayed there, if minutes, hours, or days… like it happened not too long ago, it's happening again. She is again trapped into the sewers, clueless, knowing just one thing, who did it, and that he'll pay for it.

"Damn you Osborn, damn, damn you, I swear to God, if I come out alive from this, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"Gonna rip you in half, girlie girl! – Venom says as he finds her, trying to get to her, who still is able to protect her body with a small generator of force fields –do you think this is gonna save you from me?"

Again, she cheats, using a small detonation to come out alive, to send "him" far from her, not knowing what exactly they want, if they want to keep her alive or kill her. On her knees, she is losing conscience, too, after the explosion; powerless, without any strength left, she is collapsing on the soil, when she feels again the familiar feeling of a blade, a cold blade of adamantium against her neck, but this time, this time she can't fight it.

"Well, well, well… wasn't it the point where we left?" he asks her, taking her for her hair, creating a secure opening for his dagger on her throat. Bloods is already leaving her body, tears are running away from her eyes as life as well, when she no more feels it, the coldness against her skin. Collapsing totally on the soil near where the killer is, she sees nothing if not a cigarette on the soil…

(later)

"Are you sure you know what you are doing and what I'm gonna do?" Chris feel against the cold, but this time is on her entire body. She knows she is no more in danger, and she knows this feminine voice, she recognizes it: it's Pepper. Relaxed, her body lying down on what it seems to her senses like a medical table, she is confused: how did she arrive there, when both Bullseye and Venom were trying to kill her? And where the hell am I?

"I don't know what they taught him, but Fury wanted me to know how to do this sort of things by myself" another feminine voice, anther known feminine voice. Hill? Is it possible? I mean, she hates me more than she hated Tony! What is she doing here? What are the doing?

"I know what I'm doing. I'm saving her, I'm not letting her down, as I promised you and her, Stark. She is in safe hands now. – A pause of a known masculine voice, a well known masculine voice… it seems like a caress to her. She can't help but smile. – You two see where the spin bullets and the nano-machines are… Miss Potts, you are the one with magnetic abilities, it's up to you to remove them."

"I'm not 100%sure…"

"Your upgrade, Pepp, what I did to you, the repulsomagnetic tech in your chest is upping your metabolism, your core strength, reaction time, reflexes, is correcting your physical issues, too, since you n longer need the glasses, as you already saw. It's even working on your intelligence, that's leaping up 25 to 30 IQ points… so yes – Tony says calm and cold – you are more than capable to do it. Besides, I'll be right here at your side.- another pause – what did he told you?"

"Swordsman helped me to save her, and then I hit him with my hot blades. You could use his help in the future, who knows –Again Pete. Pete and Tony, polite with each other? What's happening? Am I dead? – he said Osborn doesn't want her dead, not yet"

"Ok, ok, stop to talk, I need to do this thing, so, please, be quiet, ok? We don't want to see your sister dead, Tony, and I believe that neither you are ready to visit her grave, Wisdom."

She feels only Silence and coldness, then something hot inside her, and then, only pain, so much pain, like she has never felt before, and she can only scream….

"NNNNNN…nnnnnaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!"

"Stark, help me! She has to stay still! Hill, move with that morphine!"

And as she feels the needle inside her, in her right arm, the world goes black again around her…

"This is what I'm saying… when power gets abused, it's rare that it's a mustache-twirling snidely whiplash that's doing the abusing." Tony says. She listens to his voice, he is inside a room, an empty room, and she still feels nothing, at least, mentally; she keeps walking towards the door, dressed with just a bathrobe and some lingerie on, her head in her hands, still hurting, although she still feels nothing, nothing at all.

"The banality of evil, you mean. Real evil happen because real people let it happens, they say they just follow orders, in spite of how wrong laws and orders are." Pepper says.

"My point is, In Norman Osborn, we don't have a bunch of dropouts and failures calling the shots, we just have a real dyed-in-the-wool-mustache-twirling-looney toon running the show. Just imagine the kinds of evil he is going to get up to."

"We've already saw, Stark. Look at what he did to our… - Pete stops, correcting himself immediately – to Chris."

"I can't understand why doing it to her. She isn't such a big player, why… - Maria stops, terrified, as in shock, as everyone turns to look at her – what if he gets his hands on the superhuman registration database?"

"That's why we all are here…"

"Including me and Pete? And here I thought you hated him…" Chris, a mess as never before, enters in the room, and seats between her brother and her "boyfriend".

"There's just a copy of the database, and I'll do my best to avoid him to puts his hands on it, and I'll eventually have to erase it permanently. And, well, I might have set up a virus to screw their computers… all hammer's computer, and it happened because Norman tried to access the database from his account, breaking the law."

"Then erase it, why is it a problem? You erase it, problem solved."

"Hill's right. I can't understand what's the problem…"

"The problem is where the files are, sweetheart, right big bro?- Chris says, head in her hands, drinking a cup of coffee and noticing the silver bracelet on her right wrist – what's that?"

"Pepper removed the bullets and the spin from your body, your power will be a mess for a while. We thought you could a little help for a while, luv.- Pete pauses – what do you mean that is the problem is where the database is?"

"She means that Extremis upgraded me, giving me access to something like 75% of my brain at all times."

"I my…. Tony… where is it?"

"inside my big brother's brain. But this isn't the point. The point is, we are the only beings knowing it, but probably Osborn thinks that there's just one really knowing it, and this is the reason of my former boyfriend being here."

"I know I did I mistake calling him and asking his help without telling you first, but this is for the greatest good. If you are out of the picture, Norman will no longer find a way to blackmail me with you."

"So this is why he made the Thunderbolts attack you, he wanted to push Tony into telling him where the data were."

"Osborn has just declared war, you realise that. We can't allow this to happen. I'm sorry, sis…"

"What's the plan, then?" Maria says as Chris keeps playing with the bracelet and Pete takes that hand in his one, squeezing it gently to reassure it.

"I don't know you, but I think I'll stick with Tony's original plan… if I leave and join Pete's MI:13, renouncing to my US citizenship, if I remains only a British citizen, a British intelligence agent, he'll not be able to touch me."

"and we'll be a little safer… at least for a while."

* * *

Note: One, i took the scene from Thunderbolts 127, i admit it, putting Chris in place of Songbird, it's true that's almost teh same scene... Two: at the funeal, there were two blondes with Clint: one we know was carol, the other one, her name hasn't been told, but, altought what happened in New nation, i assumed she was her and creted teh scene. how carol acted towards Clint, teh fact that she was the one to stop him, makes me think she wasn't her, but i like to think she was her and that the story took place before new nation.

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with Hell comes to Birmingham in more or less **a month!**


	21. MI:13 : Hell comes to Birmingham:part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; all the other belong to Marvel

Author's note: Finally, hell comes to birmingham is here, as promised! well, nothing happens, at least, not so much, but I hope you'll like it. Sooo.... spoilers from Captain Britain 5, if you haven't red it yet.

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20. HELL COMES TO BIRMINGHAM - PROLOGUE

_**London**__**.**_

"I think with our 3 recruits we'll have our core team sorted, though." Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom and Alistaire Stuart, head of the scientific branch of MI-13 are inside the training room, checking Brian's last performances, and see how he is doing after his comeback from the death; the invasion has just finished, and they are still dealing with the consequences.

"One recruit I knew, but the other two? Who are these new recruits you keep talking about, Pete?" Brian asks, crossed arms, as Alistaire and Pete are controlling his last readings, without putting too much attention to him.

"I personally flew to the US to meet them and invite them in. why do you think I left for days?"

Wisdom just smirks, as he walks outside the building, standing at the door, with Brian at his side, questioning; then, just in front of the headquarter of MI:13, a car stops, and, in the rain, from the opposite side of it, two figures emerge, a black man, dressed in leather, and a woman, wearing a long knee black dress with black heeled shoes and a red-tartan jacket..

"Welcome to Britain, Mr. Brooks." Pete says to the man, giving him his hand, that he refused.

"Rain makes the circuits in the hand unreliable. Don't care for it. When do I meet the team?" he only asks, entering in the building for first, as Wisdom and Brian stand in disbelief at his back, not following him inside, unable to get him; as he already feet in front of them, they turns, and soon the expressions on their faces changes, turning into a satisfied one the one on Pete's, and in a happy but stunned one the one on Brian's, as the girl joins them at the front door, at crossed arms, middle back-long reddish-brown hair untouched by the rain although without an umbrella.

"I had forgotten why I hate so much spending the autumn here. The weather sucks – she says with an almost disgusted face as Braddock gives her a friendly backslap, while she keeps her eyes on the man she was with, indicating him with her right thumb – your man over there, very friendly. I mean, not that I'm in the mood to speak or what, but I could had appreciate a simple, I dunno, a good morning, or something like that."

"Welcome back home, luv – Pete says as Brian releases her while he takes the un-wet girl in his arms, kissing her on the lips, not caring if Brian is seeing them, taking by surprise her, too, and then lifting her chin with one of his hands, while plying with the white metal bracelet on her right wrist, the last power inhibitor she is still wearing to control a part of her powers, as she smiles at him, like she hasn't done in a long time – told you I was waiting for you, petal. I missed you." _I'm glad you decided to leave out all the rest._ He says, trying to start to walk at arms with her, but as he does so, she eludes his embrace, and forces him to let her go, leaving to the British spy only the possibility to follow her, as Brian does too, in Blade's direction.

"Sorry sweetheart, hands off policy…"_And don't think, "my love", that I've already forgive you for everything you did while you were "waiting for me" the last time I left, and over all, your planning with Tony to convince me to leave the US. And, besides, we were on the same plane. What did you think, that I came all the way here just to stay inside what's supposed to be an expensive mansion, but it's a way less then my former home?_ she says mentally and with her voice, too, smirking at him, a bit maliciously, as Pete looked at her at crossed arms, at her back, a little unsatisfied by her treatment.

"I'm glad you come back, Chris. It's a bit like the old times… - the Spirit of Britain says, with a sad look in his low blue eyes - It helps me to remember better times, you know, the fact that we are again together… well, not together like you and Pete are… I even didn't realise you were together, you know?" as he says the last words, he lifts a bit his face, like he is looking at the sky, like hoping, waiting for something good, something better to happen. he knows that he can't allow himself to feel… to feel bad, 'cause the more unsure he is, the more weak he gets.

"Well, after all, we are still spies, mate. There are a few things we are good at. - Wisdom smirks, again, as he removes his eternal sunglasses from his head and carefully puts them in the pocket of his shirt, then, suddenly, something hits Brian, who stops to walk, and look confused at the both of them. – Besides, don't lie. We know that Nocturne kept gossiping about us with Wegner, and you're always been such a bad liar, my friend…"

"we are spies? What the hell does it mean the sentence we are spies? Since when are you a spy, Chris? 'cause I've the gut he isn't speaking about SHIELD…"

"and here I thought you were a hell of a spy, Wisdom… thank you very much for having blurted out my secret. – once reached by Brian and Pete she starts to walk at their same speed, and scrapes her forehead with her index – I worked in Xavier's secret agency"

"The same of Sage, you mean? - the former king of otherworld asks her as they keep walking, seeing that Blade has finally stopped to walk and is letting them join him, and, as he turns to look at her, he reads on her face the answer he is waiting for - yes, you mean that. Pete's right… you really are spies, and there are definitely things you are good at, a way good at it…"

"Yeah, well mate, you told yourself… there are things me and my girl are really good at - he says as he again tries to take her for her hips, and once again she removes his right hands from said hip. – starting to get delusional, here, petal. And here I thought that I was going to have something for saving your life… you do remember that, more or less a week ago, Bullseye and Venom tried to kill you?, don't you?"

"Told you, sweetie, hands off policy 'till we are at work. And not only at work, for still a looong time. Don't think that I forgive so easily…- she pauses – and, besides, they weren't trying to kill me, just to kidnap me. they needed me alive. And swordsmen was actually the one saving me, you just happened to be there to help me." she answers, smirking again, a light a bit malicious in her eyes.

"I repeat it: starting to getting delusional, here…"

Brian smiles as he sees the expression on Pete's face and how Chris suddenly is changing his mood. He knows Pete Wisdom from a long time. He knows he's taken John's death really hard, though he won't show it, and he can't help but be happy for it; but he can't help but see that Chris is looking at Blade, with a serious and cold expression, and that Pete is seeing that, too.

_Luv? What's up? What's the matter?_

_I don't like it, Pete. I don't like him! He is the kind of man who bring just a thing when he knocks at your door.. problems, big bad problems_.

_Well, if he will be a problem, there will always be you here to stop him, right my luv?_ he mentally says, looking at her, smiling, sweetly, taking back the urge to take her in his arms, as he often does on the astral plane, as he has done not so many days before, inspire her scent and feel her…

"I didn't even realise you were British… - Brian says, as he walks side by side with the daywalker - I have to say, I don't get it. Why come over now? Didn't you want to fight the remaining Skrulls, to defend your homeland?" and, he wants to add but doesn't, fight Norman Osborn's new reign?

"Skrulls, criminals, are like the weather, they pass… they passed. Demons and vampires are ours, always. My calling brought me here." He answers him, without looking the younger English in the yes or even find the time to remove his RayBan sunglasses.

"And you, Chris? Honestly, I thought you were going to reunite with the X-Men in Frisco, or join the… well, Captain America's Avengers…I mean, I saw you fighting the Skrulls side by side with Miss Marvel! why are you here? Besides being with our Pete here, obliviously…"

As Brian has turned to look at her, suddenly she stops to walk, and freezes, catching her breath, her lips, her entire mouth and her throat dry, her eyes pointed to the soil, sad, unsure, but just for a minute, like she suddenly realised how she is acting, she suddenly starts to smile again, like nothing happened at all, with her sarcastic and braggart manners, hands in the pockets of her jacket, walking past them.

"C'mon Brian, you know that I'm selfish and egocentrical like all the billionaires, I come here simply because it was in my best interest. – she then turns and looks at them – so, not to quote Blade, but when do we meet the team?"

"Well, before that, you'll need a tour – Pete says feeling and knowing that she doesn't want to talk about the reasons she joined them – you see, we wants MI 13 to be a modern superhero strike force. The mission we are going to start, will be very specific. – he says showing him the armoury- It will be new for you, maybe, Mr. Brooks, you'll have a team of your own. Maybe you know how it goes, maybe not… - he says passing to the monitor room – the public wants to see Captain Britain, the Black Knight, Spitfire and all the others famous superheroes run into battle, they don't necessary need or even want to know what their heroes will have to fight. That's why we have to keep it secret, it's why you're part of the intelligence community. This is, you know – he says passing to the garages – I am… we are sure that this very British mix of professional and amateurs might be the best and most secure way to run a super-hero team. We get everything… professionals, adventurers, professional resources, intelligence community culture, but…"

"but – Brian completes the sentence – with great freedom within that responsibility, so nobody gets compromised, differently from the Super Hero Act in America. It's about time someone tried this."

"Yeah, well, perfect, marvellous… - Blade says still at crossed arms – again, when do I get to meet the others?"

"There will be a meeting Tonight and…."

"SIR! THERE'S AN EMERGENCY! - a voice suddenly starts to scream from the monitor room, as red light and sirens starts to rings everywhere – PRIORITY COMMUNICATION! YOU CAN TAKE IT IN OPS!" even before the man could stop to talk, they are already running outside the room, already in Ops even before realise they are in.

"People – he says showing them a man on one of the screens – that's Sid Ridley, Captain Midlands."

_……I've got proof… the supernatural thingummies you told us to be on the lockout for, they are right here! They're….. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!…._

"We're sorry sir, but this is where we lost contact…. And it was the best we could get…. But we've the precise coordinates, he is in Birmingham!" the same agent that called them before says.

"We go?" Brian asks.

"We go - Pete answers, pushing the emergency button. – Captain, you're first. Mission: whatever they are, whoever they are, go right through them and rescue Sid. – he stops as Brian flies outside the building and he takes his long, black, leather coat – I was gonna get you signed on to the pension plan and stuff,but I think we're going to have to call this on-the-job-training… Need time to change, petal?"

"Please, Pete, who needs to change… - she says as she is already on the plane, surrounded by a violet light, than, once disappeared, reveals her new uniform: a total black look, consisting of black leather jeans, a black long-sleeves undershirt, a bustier much more simpler than her previous one, no ribbons, closed by a zip with a gothic "B" insignia of Swarosky crystals, black motor-bike like boots; A couple of new pendants appear on her ears – a crux on the right one, and a circle on the left, and, as Pete notes that she wears no mask at all, he sees that her whole make-up (lipstick, eye-shadow and mascara) is black too, and that the only reminder of her life as a regular hero is the collar, a black silk ribbon with an X circled pendant – who needs to change when you can transform the unstable molecules of your clothes into your work clothes?"

"You really meant, when you said that you hated costumes… - Pete starts to smirk again, thinking that this whole total black thing is just the exterior reflection of the two years she just passed, going through everything a human being can and even more; he is going to add something, but he is stopped since one of his men opens the doors of the already flying plane, allowing a woman to fly in – Good to see you, Jac. We're just five minutes from target. Black Knight and Dr. Hussain are coming alongside, too. by the way, I was forgetting the introductions… Christine Johnson, Eric Brooks, meet Lady Jacqueline Falsworth-Chrichton. Jacq, let me introduce you to Blade and Blackdragon…"

"We've met" Jacq says, smiling and shining, shaking hands with the telepathic brunette

"Oh, sorry… - Chris politely answers, a little embarrassed – but, well, I think I don't remember meeting you…when did it happen?"

Pete looks at her, back at Jacq and again to Chris. She is hiding something, something is definitely up with her. He knows her powers, he knows that her new mutation, or whatever it is, gives her access to the same amount of brain capacity that Extremis gave to her brother, meaning that it's virtually impossible for her forgetting something. Also if it was something she didn't know to remember, with her powers, the mere pronunciation of Lady Jacq's name had to wake the memory up in her brain. Meaning: she is pretending, and God only knows why.

"I think it was at a meeting of the hellfire club, some charity ball or something in this line, in New York, 5 or 6 years ago… it was Tony Stark to introduce us… I heard his parents adopted you, right?"

"Oh, well, yes, sure…" she says, a little uneasy with her, as Blade makes his way towards the blonde.

"Lady Jacqueline, that's not what you are for me…" Blade says, coming nearer and nearer to the noble blonde woman.

"Oh, really? And what am I to you, mr. Blade?"

An evil grin appears on his face, as he takes a peg from his coat and stabs her in the chest, escaping from the plane.

"You're just another vampire!" he screams, jumping from the plane, and, as he does so, the once Christine Marie Antoinette Stark Johnson, now just Chris Johnson, can just think about a thing…. _I knew that something like that was going to happen…._

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with Hell comes to Birminghampart one in more or less a mouth


	22. MI:13 : Hell comes to Birmingham part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with its whole cast belongs to Marvel Comics. Speaking of which- Spoilers from Captain Britain and MI 13 issues 6 and 7.

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21. HELL COMES TO BIRMINGHAM – PART ONE

_**The skies over Birmingham.**_

"Lady Jacqueline, that's not what you are for me…" Blade says, coming nearer and nearer to the noble blonde woman.

"Oh, really? And what am I to you, mr. Blade?"

An evil grin appears on his face, as he takes a peg from his coat and stabs her in the chest, escaping from the plane.

"You're just another vampire!" he screams, jumping from the plane, and, as he does so, the once Christine Marie Antoinette Stark Johnson, now just Chris Johnson, can just think about a thing….** I knew that something like that was going to happen….**

"Jac, no! Pete screams, jumping at the side of the blonde, as both the Black Knight and Faiza, the new guardian of the Excalibur, approaches on a winged horse, in the same moment a group of agents, among them Chris and her telekinetic shield, is trying to contain Blade, holding him fro his whole body, while still, he tries to fight them and let them set him free.

"You're harbouring a super-power vampire, Wisdom! It's the most dangerous thing on Earth! And if you're with her…. – he says as he is finally able to hit hard enough the two agents who were holding him at his back – then you aren't with me!" and saying so, he jumps from the plane, directly in the flames that are surrounding the city, ruthless, careless, without give a second look at Wisdom, who's removing the stake from her heart..

"Pete…Pete, my God, he is… Blade is right….that's… - Alistaire knees near the two, a scanner in his hands, a stunned look on his face, not knowing if being scared, shocked or whatever – that's what she is…God Pete, did you know it? Did you?" it must be said. Alistaire Stuart can be a scientist, but he has spent enough years among the super-hero community and with MI:13, seeing almost everything a person can see in its life, meaning that it takes a lot to shock or surprise him, but the scientific advisor of the Weird department is, currently, 100% in shock.

As Lady Jac looks at her feet, still sitting on the floor of the plane, a guilty expression on her face, Pete takes one of her hands in his left one, smiling genuinely and sweetly at the woman, putting his right one on her heart, where the stake was. "Look at her, Alistaire. Look at her track record. She is in total control of it. Now… - he says as they land at Birmingham's airport - time to go in. and new orders. I want a unit on Blade, go get him as soon as you can. Any news from Brian?" MI:13 director asks at Alistaire, while removing for an instant his sunglasses – almost useless, since the town is as dark as in the darkest night without stars, and the only source of light are the supernatural flames.

"No signal from him. Listen Pete, I need you to know that I don't like…" Alistaire says facing him, as the black haired man puts said sunglasses on again, like to avoid the glances from the people around him, acting with a total nonchalance, like nothing happened at all, or like he doesn't care at all.

"Make me a favour, Al, shout it. You work out what this fire is, I shut down the media. Then we'll…" he even hasn't the time to end the sentence, that Jac flies in front of him, running at super-speed, looking not at him, her gaze focused on the skyline of the city, on the flames…

"There's people in there, trapped inside the flames… and that fire can't hurt me, I just know it. Blade or no Blade… I'm sorry, Pete." She says, leaving, again at super-speed, no regrets or sufferance in her voice, just resolution and strength: if there's any sign of uncertainty in her words, it's more because she knows that Pete trusts her, he believed in her although he knew the truth, and gave her a chance – a chance that, probably, the most weren't ready or even able to give - and, right now, as he screams again her name, for the second time in few minutes, his voice broken by fear and uncertainty, she is running away from him –her boss, with his team, and his orders.

_**(LATER)**_

"The flame is an energy field, developed thanks to latent human psychic powers. Our comms will not penetrate it" Al starts to explain to a group of them, as they are still near the plane, all the kinds of machinery and scanners – making him and his back more like a human portable lab.

"Meaning – Chris says as she is still leaning at crossed arms with her back against the cold metal of the plane (but somehow, she feels it less cold than being near her supposed "boyfriend") – that once you'll be in, you'll be alone on yourselves, without the chance to ask for any kind of backup. The electro-magnetic interferences that are saturating the air are making even my work hard… even my psychic powers aren't working as they used to." Chris has only the time to end the sentence, that the fire around them starts to becomes bigger, explosions start all over them, and, as the movement of air provoked by them hits the group, she finds herself on knee on the soil, her uniform already no more intact, and Pete on her to shield her body.

"Sir, my men are trying to clear the building, but they don't want to go, they are barricading themselves in!" one of the men in Pete's unit says, approaching them, as Pete helps Chris to stand, while she cleans with her fist the blood who's leaving her mouth.

"What I was trying to tell you. – she says as she removes a bit of dust from her blouse - I tried to make contact, to convince them to leave, but it seems that my telepathy isn't having any effect on them. And this is something I definitely know I can do… ordering an evacuation is the first thing Professor X taught me. – she pauses, going near him, looking at flames – chances are that, working from the inside, I could do more… do you want me to come in and try some of my magic?"

"Sid, Brian and now Jac… I don't need to worry about you, too."

"Then, next time think twice before recruiting me for your little clubhouse" she sarcastically says, grinning a little, annoyed by this whole situation.

"damn, I should have paid attention at that people management course. So, no telepathy? Don't tell me that the greatest telepathic mind of the planet can't find a solution for this, petal"

"You can nourish my ego as long as you whish, Pete, but this will not help you to convince me to end in bed with you again this quickly. besides –she says as she turns to look at him with another evil sarcastic smile – although Emma Frost is a total bitch, I'm just the fourth telepathic mind of the planet, fifth if we count Jean Grey, sixth if we include… "

"Ok, I get it, luv. How's your telekinesis doing?" he asks, looking at the flames and not at her.

"that, is working at 100%" she tries to look at him, but find herself unable to. Crossing her arms, standing, she tries to make the headache stop, trying to stop to think about the realisations are suddenly hitting her… what the hell was I thinking about? I mean, the X-men wanted all the mutants in Frisco and I said no, Clint, Bobbi, Logan and Carol asked me to stay with the Avengers and I said no? No? to the Avengers? For this? Just because Tony send me away? The same Tony that wanted Pepper and Maria at his side but send me away? What sort of genius am I? what a freaking idiot am I…

"Al, are we due another outburst?"

"Reading indicate ten minutes, then a bigger one, and, then a even bigger one and…."

"I get it, Al. Damn it…. – he pauses, turning to his super-powered agents with a resolute look and ready to face whatever they'll have to face – no time for more intel, people, we go in, sort it."

"Right, boss, okay, if you say so.." young Faiza takes Excalibur in her hands, a bit reluctant, as she wasn't ready for it, but wanting to.

"Black, remove that damn power inhibitors of yours… we need you in all your mutant shiny glory, luv"

"Got it, boss" she says a little sarcastically, walking side by side with them in direction of the entrance.

"Thought you'd never asked… you all, keep up with me if you can!" Whitman says as he enter first, followed by, in order, Pete, Chris and Faiza, who do everything they can with their powers to advance in the place.

"We're holding them for now, but it's better if you hurry up a little, sweetheart… for what concerns me, I don't know how long I'll be still able to contain these people…" Faiza and Chris are side by side, both young women with arms stretched in direction of the crowd, open hands, shining light leaving them: a mystical blue light surrounds the young doctor, while a violet energy is Chris' trademark signature.

"Am I ever going to zap anything that's not magic? – Faiza turned to look at the woman at her side, her dark eyes shining with force and resolution, and, Chris has to admit, a point of terror, too – By the way, Mr. Wisdom never introduced us properly… Faiza Hussain, nice to meet you. You are Blackdragon, you were with Excalibur, right? And you even fought with the X-men and… God, I can't believe that I've already met two Avengers!"

"Actually – she answers at closed teeth, avoiding another crowd of "possessed" people – that great brain of mine had the bright idea to refuse membership with the Avengers and decided to come here…"

"Pushing past… tempted to cut through. Because track suits as day wear… -Dane is on knee on the soil, almost whispering, head in his hands, refusing to look in front of him, closed eyes, tight teeth, the grip on his sword as hard as never before, like he is trying to contain it – I feel like I need… like I want to attack them… the blade feels like at home here. Faiza… that stone, that might break."

"Don't talk like that!" the younger woman cries, almost jumping in his arms, tears in her eyes at the mere thought of what he just asked her to do in case… just in case.

"You two, stop it. Here we are – Pete says as he starts to go in direction of the basement, his hands charged with his power – can you spot where we're not meant to go?" in front of them, a small crowd of people, ready to fight with what they have at hands – not so much, and, must of all, not ready yet… not ready to face a group of super-powered individuals. Saying that's an easy battle is saying nothing, it just means that they find their way fro the basement of the old place, the place they weren't suppose to reach.

"Sid, you all right?" Pete screams as a telekinetic energy shot hits the doors leaving the entrance free.

"Wisdom? Wisdom, is that you or are you just what I want you to be?

An old man, as old as Steve Rogers could be if he was still alive and never went into hibernation is trapped, kneed, chains that soon Faiza and Dane brake all over him, to trap him, to avoid him to go away, to help.

"You used to take the bus to MI13. You're the only super soldier I know who complains about their piles. You collect decorative spoons. – he looks at him, his right index finger pointed at old man, a serious expression on his face, that soon ends, leaving place to a smirk, his lovely and adorable smirk that can melt her – you always thought I was a complete tosser, and the feeling is mutual. When I told you I was dating a Nobel prize winner, you told me she couldn't be that smart if she was dating me. "

"Right, Good… - the old man says standing again and reaching his boss – let me now tell you what this things are… you see, I was trying the local to get to a crack house, and as soon as we find it was in this palace, I thought that I direct action was the best idea. So, I made my entrance, but once inside, the people was… they were on trip, and there was this creature, who attacked me, and, as soon as I tried to leave and each you, a brunch of old ladies was on me… and I hope you didn't expect from me to attack old ladies, right? They took me, bringing me to their boss, telling me a little about this whole thing… this Plokta, he can give you whatever you want, at the cost of your soul. Don't you feel the energy that's being leached from you just being here? – he pauses, looking at the soil, caressing one of his wrist, sadness in his old light blue eyes – there's something I want, something I always think about… don't ask me what. If I think about it… whenever I think about it, I can feel this thing teasing me to give myself in exchange… they wanted… I don't know. Powers, but I don't have any magical power…"

"Magical power… - Pete removes his sunglasses again and starts massaging his head, his mass of dark hair – me sending Brian in for first, to see how his confidence held up under pressure…"

"Suddenly it doesn't seem such a great idea, right?" Chris asks him, sarcasm, not intending it like a question at all, looking around herself, feeling… feeling it, whatever it is, trying to enter in her conscience.

"You have to stay focused, don't let your mind wander off. I know, it's hard not to do it, in here. To not think about… - Sid, as he guides them towards their goal, in front of them all, stops to walk for a brief instant, again suffering eyes on the soil, sadness visible in every single fiber of his being – about your heart's desire. But that's when he appears, just in your heads. I knew what I'd see inside… and, like I said, I turned him down."

"Sorry, people, but I think – Faiza interrupts them, as she feels Excalibur vibrating in her hands, like to guide her towards something, like the sword wanted her to know where they all have to go – I think Excalibur kind of knows where this demon thing is. She… says we have to head upwards…"

"All right people – Pete immediately follows the Muslim girl, with the resolute tone of the boss and the field lieder – up we go… and nobody, nobody, think of anything they really like or whish."

"Sooo… - Faiza interrupts the silent walking along the stairs, looking a little scared in direction of their goal – why this demon thing is doing this?"

At her side, Dane looks resolute as never before, but determination is not the only thing he is feeling right now. Right now he is scared, and keeps trying to stay focused, to not loose control of himself, of his mind. Right now, Dane Whitman is in the middle of a fight, between the possibility of becoming victim of the sword and of Plokta's machinations.

"He must be doing something with the magical power he's harvesting from the people who go into his "dream corridor". By the way, people, keep talking to me. doesn't care what you say, just, say something-. And, in the last part of his sentence, everyone can feels that Dane is scared, maybe just a little, but still… - between the sword playing up and trying to not think of my heart's desire… now would not be the time for me to rub my stomach and chew gum. What about you, people? Any visions of some great longing?"

"Nothing at all, worth mentioning, that it is… but I think it'd be hard to get to us anyway, because we're, you know, prepared. - Faiza says, as a strain of red appears on her cheeks. – what about you, Miss Johnson? Any problem in dealing with this thing? I mean, it's not like you haven't dealt with this sort of things before, 'cause I'm sure you know what we're talking about here, right?"

"Sure, yeah, that's… that's right… I'm totally fine…- she almost whispers, walking and pressing the palm of her right hand against her forehead, closed teeth, trying to focus, to stay in control. To be the one in control. – my powers… my mind has computer-like connections. I'm a human machine. Staying in control is a bit… it's easier for me, that's all."

_**I know… I know you're thinking about it, dear Christine… it's tempting, isn't it?**_

She feels is. She hears it, in the back of her mind, it's the same feeling she had when Charles thought her the use of her psychic powers, there, in the back of her brain, in her hypothalamus, like a tickling… and, before she even could realises it, she is no more with MI:13, but in a place that looks terribly like the astral plane she has so often been into.

**What… where are you? Show yourself!**

**_As I told you… I know you. I know what you want. And I can give it to you…._**

The creature, Plokta, finally shows himself, a white mask with a dark mantle, a long cape all around his inconsistent body, made of something like air. And, as he appears, the world around her changes, her inner world, and she changes, her too. no more costumes, mask, bruises or cicatrices on her body, just… just her, and not Christine Stark or who the hell she has always been or tried to be, what she sees is Chris, the girl, the woman. Looking at herself, she realises that she is in a garden, a garden she merely remembers of, a place where she knows her parents, her real, biological parents, sometimes went with her. And, under an old oak, an old, enormous oak, she sees two something like sixty years old figures. A woman, her hair still not white yet, sitting on a cover, near a man, white hair and beard, who shine, and smile at her… Michael and Tanya, her parents, and near them, a girl, at least 10 years older then her, but that looks exactly like her mother at that age… she has a feeling, like she could remember her, like she knew her, but she is unable to reach that information… but the feeling, oh, the feeling is strong, too strong for being something she hasn't to care about, something she didn't care about… something she doesn't care about. Then, as they asks her to reach them with a gesture, the telepath does something she hasn't done yet: take a peek at herself, and sees that she is wearing a subtle and elegant empire style dress, light blue, sleeveless, knee long, and sees that, under the dress, there's something she hasn't seen before… her belly, a growing belly… a child… a wedding ring on her ring finger, and then she sees him, Pete, passing near her, giving her a peak on the back, just to reach her parents, and go to sit under the same tree, along with a child, a little black haired boy whom he is playing with, and, must of all, what she feels… is the silence, her mind empty, no voices of the dead ones. No sad memories of Genosha, or of the Invasion…

**_It's tempting, isn't it, my dear, little Christine?_**

Chris removes her look from her stomach, removing her ringed hand from it at the same time, and turns to look at the creature, a determined, cold expression on her face, cold and resolute as she looks in what are his eyes… no, resolution is not the right word. She isn't resolute, she is just cold, like empty, like nothing is happening at all. Like a machine… like a computer.

**My mind is unreachable by you, Plokta. You can't have me… not whit my powers, not whit this… lie.**

"Are you all right, Miss Johnson?" Faiza asks her again, near her, as she sees Dane hit Pete with the sword to awake him.

"Just trying to process same data, but the feeling… this tickling in my brain is unsupportable, doesn't help to concentrate."

"Damn you, Wisdom, you have to wake up…. It's how it gets to you!"

Removing once again his sunglasses, Pete looks at the floor, a small gaze at the Black Knight, massaging his face, the point where the former Avengers has just hit him. "Ow, that hurts… sorry. I was thinking to some friends and… he almost did it."

"It seems that, although we already knew what we were going to face, we're still weak… Plokta is finding a way too easy getting at us… we're risking a lot, here, if he'll be able to see our hearth's desire and convince us to give up for him…" As the group stops at the backs of both the Knight and Faiza, Chris speaks, a finger on her chin, eyes on the protection field in front of them.

"Faiza, do you feel it?"

"Yes, Dane, the sword…. Excalibur… there's something out there, something being… being made. Something being made of… of magic?" the young hero hasn't the time to stop to speak, that a crowd of creatures attacks them, and the groups gives everything they have: psycocinetic bolts of energy and telekinetic shields from Chris, Hot knives from Pete, Faiza and Dane's magic abilities, and Midland's shield and military strategies.

"That's what he is doing! He is using the magical energy to make mindless ones!"

"Mindless ones? That's new – Chris sarcastically tells Pete as they are back against back, him attacking with his knives and her trying to resist to the energy the creatures emit from their eye with one of her shield – and I thought that at 27 I've already learnt everything…"

"No time for sarcasm, love" he tells her as he breakes one of them, hitting it in the face.

"I'm trying to not think. This guy, Plokta… he found a way in me, even with my cybernetic abilities… I can't let him… I need to think to the here and now – she pauses – talk to me and hit me if necessary, if you see that I do something strange…. Well, stranger than the usual, at least." She end the sentence grinning, as she skims over his hand for e mere second, smiling, both of them, with malice, desire and tenderness at the same time, coming then back immediately to the fight, both of them.

"Blood, blood, no blood, the blade… the blade wants it, the blade wants blood…." Whitman is hitting every mindless one he finds, but that's not the point…. The point is that he is terribly near to Faiza… his blade is too close to her head.

"Whitman, stand down, I'm ordering you…."

"I can't enter in his mind to stop him, Pete… the interferences are still too strong, even if we're inside… and it's like… it's not him, it's really the sword the one in control!"

"Dane, please, stop it… you don't have to do it. You're better than this…" the Muslim young woman says, as in shock, petrified, between tears.

"Damn… Dane, there's something you need to know, something I didn't want to tell you but… -Pete screams as he is going to jump, literally, at Dane's throat -that's not the Ebony Blade!"

* * *

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with Hell comes to Birmingham part two in a month!


	23. MI:13 : Hell comes to Birmingham part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with its whole cast belongs to Marvel Comics. Speaking of which- Spoilers from Captain Britain and MI 13 issues 8 and 9.

* * *

22. HELL COMES TO BIRMINGHAM – PART TWO

"Damn… Dane, there's something you need to know, something I didn't want to tell you but… -Pete screams as he is going to jump, literally, at Dane's throat -that's not the Ebony Blade!"

"What…it's not the Ebony blade?! But…but… - still in front of a kneed and terrified Faiza, Dane looks at the sword in his hands, trembling, uncertain, and maybe even scared, and, as his gaze skims over the young woman, he collapses on the soil, only able to whisper the last few words that leave his mouth…- Please, please… help me…"

"Got him- Sid says as he keeps the Avenger on his shoulder, carrying him like he was some kind of sack of potatoes – but now we need to go, we should keep heading upwards…"

"You go, I'll barricade the stairs…or at least, try to…." His sunglasses again in their place, with a smirk on his face, Pete starts to hit whatever creature gets near him… both the close and the more distant ones.

"I know I can be a real pain when I get in this mode, but I thought that the word "barricade" implied some kind of defensive power… - Chris says with a satisfied grin on her face, ready to release all the frustration of the last months, her right arm stretched in front of her, as a shield of purple energy suddenly appears in front of them – correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you had an offensive power, right, sweetie?"

"I can take care of myself, luv – he removes his look from the mindless ones, focusing it back to her, a vein of worry clearly printed on his face – besides, there are those few things, like the fact that you can't stay here forever to contain them, or that you still have issues with your powers, and…"

"I never lower my guard twice in the same year, besides, I just wanted to see if can play a little game with our friends here… – she says, smirking again, her eyes on him, like playing with him; her eyes shining of a golden light, like the ones of a cat in the blackest night, Chris stretches her other arms as well, and, slowly, closes the gap between her hands, clapping them; as she does so, two shields of purple energy – the one that was protecting them and one that was at the mindless ones' back, collides, taking the mystic creatures in the middle, breaking every part of them as the rock of their bodies falls in pieces under the pressure of the joined shields – guess this… bought us time… few minutes maybe… so, how did I do, boss?"

Almost collapsing in his arms, Pete takes her, helping her to stand, one hand on one of her hips, the other one busy removing the strains of sweat from her face. Still holding her, he starts to look at her, in her eyes, a genuine smile on his lips, and, before she could realise it, he is kissing her, a quick, gentle kiss on the lips, that leaves her astonished and wordless for a while.

"You simply did great, petal…– as she stands again on her own, she gives a quick massage to the back of her head – Guess I'll have to stop to worry about you, right? Ready to go now ? - she even doesn't care to answer nor to reply, what she does is simply following him… but, as he is going to go upstairs, she silently takes him for the jacket, forcing him to stop and turn towards her; as he does so, she reaches him, her lips inches from his own. - What? I know that this could be the end of the world, but I don't think that other kisses are…- as he is still speaking, she cleans with her right hand the stein of red colour – her light red lipstick, the nuance of Dior called "Shades of petal of red rose, from his face.- right, we don't want everybody to know that we made out on the field, right?"

"Why let the others know that I let you broke the hands off policy rule?" "Right. No need for them to know…" he says as, looking to see some other mindless ones coming to life, they start to walk towards their team-mates, running hand in hand, to reach them where Sid guided them.

"Thanks, I…- Dane says, minutes later, still on the stairs, as, surrounded by his team-mates, regains consciousness, still uneasy with what happened, and the sudden realisations he just had – didn't I… already know about the ebony blade?" he turns at his right, seeing that Faiza in on her knew, near him, massaging his shoulder like to comfort him.

"Excalibur's files says that you found out while you all went to the old Camelot to prevent it from end before its time, right?" Chris says turning her look from him to Pete.

"Yeah, well, so I thought. This is why it was a bit bloody surprising when you started talking about it… - Pete pause, taking the blade in his hands, examining it, skimming over its lucid and shining surface – the real ebony Blade is in Wakanda, a situation I was planning on doing something about… whatever this is, it was good enough to fool the magical powers of Camelot…and I think it's doing its best to even convince you too."

"I think – he says as he massages his forehead – it's been trying a little too hard…"

"Yeah, well, then, drop that damn thing down the rubbish chute" Faiza in standing again, crossed arms, angry voice, unable to look in his eyes.

"No, I.. I can't… whatever this is, it's hungry for blood, I can let someone else… - he pauses, lowering his eyes a little in front of her – I'm handling it, now."

As he says so, Faiza jumps at his troth, screaming, rage in her almost always shy and calm voice. "You are doing what? Please, you were going to kill me! how could you let it go that far? How?"

"I'm.. – he says putting away the sword, as they remain silently looking at each other, fear, insecurity and compassion in their eyes, that tell everything they have without a single word – I'm really sorry, Faiza"

"You two, time to get moving. And Dane… one false move and either I melt the damn sword or Chris melts your brain…"

"We better be quick now, boss. I can hear the damn thins, moving… -Sid says, first of them, his military manners always there. –here we go, it's here, on this level…"

"Captain Midland's right – Faiza says as Excalibur starts like to vibrate in her hands, arms stretched in front of her, closed eyes, calm and secure – the whole corridor is a source of magic. There's power behind every door, except one… - she concentrates, leaving the sword guiding her towards their goal – that one. Room 102…"

"That's because it's not part of the dream corridor, just Plokta's HQ." The former military explains them, walking towards the door.

"But, I can't understand… before… Excalibur was sensing him and now…"

"That's because he owns the whole damn place, and he will be probably somewhere outside the room playing mind tricks with the likes of you, we get to smash his control! You all don't get it, they are under my protection!" he turns, looking at Faiza, inch from her face, screaming at her, frustrated an angry; as the lecture is over, he turns, and stats to walk rapidly towards the door.

"Sid, we understand, it's ok, but we have to do this slowly, but before…" Pete rapidly turns, and throws a brunch of his hot knives towards the black man who just arrived at his back.

"Pete, no… stop to try to kill him! He's on our side… at least, for now… - Spitfire reaches the black haired man at super-speed, stopping him from sending more "blades" at Blade's address; in front of him, her hands on his shoulders, close, very close to him, so close that, second later, the same hands are no more on his shoulders, but on his chest, begging him for mercy, mercy for the vampire hunter. - Pete, please... will you do it for me?"

"I hope you've noticed that I missed… and don't think that I did it because of Jac. I never, never – he underlines, sunglasses in sunglasses, his knives still charged – miss, Blade… you better give me good reason to do it again, or next time me or my girl will fry that bloody damn brain of yours"

"then, you'll miss again – the daywalker says lifting his hands in sign of defeat – 'cause of what we're up against. Now I've met him… he says he is a duke of hell…"

"which, considering the past meeting of both X-Men and Avengers with supposed dukes of hell that I'm aware of, could means only big troubles, right? – Chris looks at them, crossed arms, coming close to Pete, who's still a way too close to Jac for her own taste – suddenly, I feel like I could face Venom, Bullseye and Osborn with his whole damn army and even win…"And that remembers me that, next time someone will ask me to join the Avengers, I'll say yes instead of coming all the way here, running with the tail between my legs only to be treat this way by someone who keeps telling me that he loves me but flirts with girls that aren't obviously me…

"Your girl's right – you see, each duke of hell is responsible for one of the magical principles of the universe, in this case, the mindless ones, pure chaos, political force of the dark dimension as well in many others. You want to leave a major player impotent just cleaning his house for the rest of his days? You set up a factory, make this things and let it run wild…. This isn't a random first attack, this is an attempt to knock earth out of the game, to claim it for hell and nobody else, in order to make the other dark powers you released leave it alone, finally absorbed into the Inferno…."

Next time that Pete Wisdom knocks at your door, leaves it close. This isn't big troubles….this is even worst. Being with the X-men, taught me that when the word Inferno comes out, it means just much more bigger troubles… "And, since Plokta is using the human needs to make these things work, and earth is full of human beings with needs, it's quite obvious that it's working for him. – Chris says without leaving her position, but looking at Blade instead of Pete and the others – and all the psychic energy released to create the mindless ones is saturating both the astral plane and the physical one, leaving the telepaths without any chance to use their powers to try to revert the situation…"

"This is magic, and this is dark, and it's bad… - Pete says pointing his fingers at Blade again, screaming as full of rage as probably never before – this is why I wanted you onside! With us! You, duplicitous, son of… now, when we're done with Plokta, I swear to God that I'm gonna have you deported back to the United States of…"

"Enough, people! – Spitfire jumps again at him, removing his hand from the face of the vampire hunter – it's me, I'm the one who's the injured party here, remember? And I note that, Pete, that your first taught wasn't exactly, I don't know, glad to see you, Jac, or, I'm glad to see that you got your hand back"

"Jac, c'mon, he tried to…."

"Pete, enough, stop it, now!"

"Here… did you hear that? It sounded like a kid in there…" As he says so, almost at low voice, Sid comes closer to the door, almost skimming over it, a little hesitant, shy, uneasy, like he is not even sure of what he has to do. At his back, in order, waiting for something to happen or for orders, Faiza, the Black Knight, Pete, Blade, Spitfire and Chris.

"Sid, no wait!- shouting at him is the only thing Pete is able to do, no one is able to stop Sid from violently enter inside the damn room where Plokta has his base… as the man jumps against the door, regardless of whatever is happening around him, whatever and whoever, the object falls into pieces, revealing the inside of the room to be the most normal and plain room of the planet, leaving them a little astonished and wordless, as they see that there's a woman in her middle 30s-fisrt 40s serving some tea, acting as nothing is happening at all, even, maybe, a little scared by the sudden intrusion in the apartment – is this Plokta?"

"Doubt it, can't smell sulphur anywhere." Blade answers, sibylline, as he is going to approach the woman.

"Then who…"

"Pete? My powers… are going even more havoc than before… but still, there's something… that it doesn't feel right here…"

"Wait a moment… - Jac goes near the woman, an hand on her chin, examining her like she was some kind of subject of a test – she looks like someone from when I was young…or, actually, I think we've…"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry… - the woman smiles, shining, offering the super-heroine a cup of tea – I'd forgotten… I think it was in 1942, right?"

Realising what just happened, Jac turns toward Sid, who's sealing the door, tears from his eyes, like he was the one who can't believe what's happening.

"Sid…" the blonde says, shouting, terror and realisation in her voice.

"There's… there's just the seven of us, here, Pete…. I can't sense other electrical cerebral signatures… she is…"

"Oh… you worked it out. I'm sorry, so sorry you wouldn't believe it, but that won't stop me… - he says without looking at them, tears in his eyes – this is my wife, Nancy Ridley. She… - he pauses, removing his helmet and throwing it on the wooden floor – she originally died back in 1963. In return for doing this… I took what was offered straight away, I was giver her back… you have to understand… I was just following orders… I had to walk you in here if you didn't walk in yourselves. And now that the door's closed… you can't escape… you'll stay here forever… and you'll be forever Plokta's power source." As Sid says so, something like an invisible force hits them, sending them against the wall of the apartment, directly to the ceiling.

"I can't believe it.. you… you sold us out for this… you sold us out for a fantasy!" As he tries to win over the field that keep him hostage, Pete, again without his sunglasses, like he was feeling the need to look into Sid's eyes to make him understand better the gravity of his action, screams like a rabid fox, rage too well clear in his voice and his movements.

"No, no, you… you can't understand! She is… - Sid tries to defend himself, but he is unsure, even a kid could sense it in his voice, as he keeps the woman close to him, like to protect her from the outside world – it's like she is real! I've been given a life with her, Mr. Wisdom, a whole life in few minutes… it was the life I deserved… the life I'll have forever now!"

"You'll not be hurt…" the woman says, the grip on her husband tighter than before.

"You'll live your lives out in here, with us, we'll see you right…"

"What you deserved? You want to know what you deserve, Sid? – Pete shouts, same look in his eyes, charging his hands of energy – this is the only thing you deserve!" as he throws at the woman his hot knives, sending "her" into pieces like she was just some kind of porcelain doll, Pete shouts, sending all his rage, all his frustration, all his sufferance, free.

"No…no… what… what have you done – Sid says without stopping crying, crying a river on the pieces of the woman he was hands in hands until a moment before, kneed on the soil, desperate as Juliet was when she found put Romeo was dead near her "grave" – he won't give me another…it will be just this forever, now… Nancy… Nancy…."

"Shout it! – as he jumps at the man, taking him for his collarbone, Pete lifts him few inches from the soil, making sure that Sid, the once ally-turned traitor, is looking directly in his hazelnut eyes, hazelnut eyes turned red for the rage he is feeling right now - we've been on the back foot since we stumbled into this job, that's my fault so, I'm going to be the one to fix it… listen to me, Sid, I'll not lose another officer… meaning we are getting out, all of us. And once we'll be out….you'll pay for having committed treason. But as I told you… first I want to get out of here. All us. So tell me… what is this dream corridor?"

"It's a locked-off dimension, infinite… you come in willingly, you get your heart's desire, you didn't, so you don't got it… there's no way out, you'll life your lives here, forever, and I wanted to do with my Nancy…" the old man talks at low voice, lowered eyes, unable to look into Pete's eyes, to stand his gaze. He is acting this way because he knows the truth, he knows it was a mistake and he failed everyone of them, I knew he has been weak. But he feels like he had to … like part of him isn't even responsible for what happened, if it was his right to do it.

"The hell there isn't… - Pete says as he throws the man on the soil – Dane, give me that damn sword of yours…" as he speaks, he turns towards Dane, claiming with his posture the "Ebony blade", a light of security and determination in his eyes.

"I don't think is a good idea, Pete… it's difficult for even me controlling it, after all those years, I can't risk…" but, while Dane is till trying to convince his superior officer to let the blade in his hands, Pete has already taken "it" in his hands: the dark blade on his palms, it looks at it, directly, taking big breaths, at closed eyes; after few moments, he finally takes it properly, the blade few inches from his face, in front of him, looking at the thing as he does when he confronts an adversary.

"Whatever the thing really is… - he stops, hesitant, not knowing exactly where he has to go, then, suddenly, like a thunder in the free sky during a sunny day, it hits him, and he knows, or, at least, he understands something about the nature of the thing – You're an intelligence, meaning that I've to talk to you directly. So… - he pauses, like fearing that his team-mates could thing that he is going slowly mad – listen to me, whatever you are… you fooled Camelot, meaning that you've got a load of magical power… but you want blood, too. – he pauses, grinning evilly as Chris doesn't remember he did in quite a long time – so, how does it feel knowing that you're trapped here, 'till the end of the days, with just us seven? Is ours enough blood for you? Do you really will have enough of the blood of seven people for the rest of the eternity? Or do you want to go… - as he hasn't ended the sentence yet, the blades starts to shine of a bright red light, vibrating in his hands, guiding him where it wants, making him does what it wants, doing the work in its place, in a certain way, as he is cutting (or, maybe, they are cutting) the walls of reality itself, re-shaping it in its original form, destroying the same source of Plokta's power – out?"

"No! – Dane screams as he is trying to reach Wisdom, terror in his eyes, but somehow, both Faiza and Chris stop him, making a human wall between the two men – what are you doing? Let me go! I told you… I told you it was going to happen! Can't you see it? The sword is possessing him!"

"My powers aren't working at maximum rate here, and maybe I'm not so fond of magic, Whitman – Chris says trying to force the knight to look at her instead of Wisdom – but I know Pete. I'd know if he'd be possessed… and I'm sure it's not the case…" as he turns to look at her, Dane starts to question himself. And the question isn't if he has to believe her on not, but if she is trying to convince him or herself: he can sees it in her eyes, maybe he doesn't know Chris Johnson so well, but he is seeing the light… the fear in her look.

"She is right, Dane, you don't have to stop him… I think… I know that Excalibur is telling me that they are simply finding – she stops as she sees that they are just broke the veil that divided them from the others room of the corridor, and so she immediately corrects herself- that they've found our way out!"

As they look at him, he keeps moving from a room to another, hitting with the blade everything, making falling into pieces all the dreams, forcing their owners to come back to reality.

"All this fantasy… I nearly lost everyone for you bloody addicts! I nearly lost the woman I love for you! No more! – he screams as he continues to hit, harder and harder, everything, moving faster and faster towards the end of the corridor –you're going to take responsibility for your lives… you're going to take responsibility for your dreams. You're going to stop to leave others to deal with your mess…because the dream corridor… it dies now! And you, Plokta… - he screams as he throws the blade to his rightful owner, pointing to the "doctor", who's threatening an old lady who just understood what she has done but who, until few minutes before, was his spoke-person; all his team-mates at his shoulders, ready to fight with everything they have: the 3 swords of Dane, Faiza and Blade; all Jac's powers; Pete's hot knives; Black's psyonic sword that's around her right hand – step away from that pensioner!"

**_You aren't serous, are you? Are really you people going to attack me, a duke of hell? What are going to do, rush me and slap the cuffs on? There's just a weapon that can hurt me and now.._** – he says as hot flames hit Blade's magic sword, made by the pages of the mightiest book of magic and able to defeat and protect from any mystical creature **_–the sword is no more!_**

"He is too much for us – Blade says, front line, as his fingers are still burning – what about the other magic source I sensed here?"

"Excalibur seems to tell me that it's the dream corridor itself…"

"Meaning, that's something he is making, not doing by himself." Blade says smirking.

"It's independent from him, then…" As she has already told, Chris isn't so found of magic, isn't something she is so sure about, but she thinks she is getting it, like the others.

"We were after him when Sid trapped us in there. I wonder why Plokta didn't do it on his own…" At now, even Pete is smirking. Like all.

"Because he can't enter in the rooms of the dream corridor…" Also Dane now knows.

"Because they are his power source… and he feeds on what's inside…"

"And, once inside, he'd end eating his own energy!" Chris says, with realisation, ending Pete's sentence.

**_All your whispering is making me nervous… I thin I'll create a couple of mindless ones on my own, just to keep you busy while I eat your souls!"_**

As he ends the sentence, not a couple, but an army of mindless ones attacks them, and the previous scene repeat itself, just that, this time, in the middle of the battle, while they are all busy fighting fir them and the world, Sid isn't at their side, but keeping in chains.

"We must go fro Plokta, force him to enter in a room!" Pete screams between the echoes of the battle.

**_Wisdom, you idiot…. You can't force me to go anywhere, I'm immaterial!_**

He says, laughing in their faces, as they keeps fighting, almost on the verge of losing the battle.

"Hope you don't mind, but I let myself in" at their backs, they hear it, and, once they turns, they see him. Their "deus ex machina", their saviour, their champion (with Alistaire Stuart at his side), who, under Plokta's very surprised eyes, takes him and force him to enter in one of the room, without second question, or any doubt, strong and resolute as never before.

**_You're weak, you're just an illusion… no…. you can't…"_**

"Plokta, you still have to learn- Brian says first with calm, then with the fire in his veins – that I'm Captain Britain… there's nothing I can't do!"

_(LATER, outside the building)_

The battle is over. At least, this one, this one with Plokta… but, as they look at Sid, whom the force are bringing away in some maximum security prison, they know it's just not over, at least for now, this interior battle, this sense of betrayal, of delusion…

"Now it's your turn, Brooks!" Pete says as the remaining men of the force he is with points all their arms towards the "vampire", ready to fire at the very first sign of resistance, but, between them, Jac puts herself, running again in direction of Pete, again putting her hands on his chest, asking him, begging him for something, for hearing what she has to say…

"Sir, tell them to stand now! – she starts a little hesitant, almost sweet, just then to raise the tone of her voice and pointing her right index at him, at his chest, resolute, wanting to be eared, his attention. - Listen, I'm the injured party here. Blade knows my nature now. I have his word that he wouldn't stake me. Not unless I… well, and then I hope he would! – she pauses, getting more and more angry – we're going to face vampires, sir. The sooner, the better. My son, my own son could be with them. You want to keep me around? Keep Blade around!"

After the verbal attack, Pete looks at his feet, massaging his forehead, just to, then, rise his gaze again, in direction of the blonde super-heroine and former Invader, a small, very small smile on his lips.

"God, Jac, you know, I love it when you call me "sir"… - he pause, taking a deep breath – Ok, probation, then. But now…can we, please, bloody go home now?"

As they turns and walks in direction of the plane, Chris doesn't say a single word. Betrayal. Just betrayals… other betrayals. And she is starting to thin that she can no more… that she can't keep suffering this way, that she is tired of this… of all of this… and there's just a thing she keeps repeating herself, as she reminds herself of how Pate and Jac acted around each other… that, if it hasn't been for him, she could be an Avenger by now, a regular hero, among people who showed to care about her… who showed to respect her. Carol, Clint, Bobbi and Logan… they wnate her around, but she refused. She refused because of Pete and because of Tony.

But, as the brunette once known as Christine Stark, her costume almost in pieces and certainly not how she imagined – and made – it, walks towards the plane, she finds herself near the speedster, and looks at her old blonde team-mate, the always young lady Falsworth-Chrichton, remembering few things she told her and Pete- things she knows aren't true. Although everything, she doesn't hate her, she simply can't understand few things, but she definitely knows that hate is a feeling she can have for just few other individuals, and this woman, who has suffered so much in her long life, who did something that no one should do, surviving her own son, seeing him turned into a vampire, she simply knows that she can't hate her, that she doesn't deserve it, although she feels like being a little cold could be the right solution. After all, there's a thing Chris Johnson is famous for…

"Lady Chrichton…" she says as they observe Sid, taken away from few officers, under the sad eyes of all his team-mates, but she I immediately stopped by the woman, who turns to look at her with sweetest eyes she has ever seen, making her think about… a mother. She definitely isn't able to hate this woman…

"C'mon, Christine, it's just Jac, there's no need to be so official, right? I'm not a Lady when I'm here among you… besides, I've always hate to be referred that way."

"If I'll have to call you Jac, you'll have to call me Chris… I so hate my full name, you know… - she pauses, massaging her forehead, smiling a little, uneasy with this whole new situation- I know that probably it doesn't regard me, but, you have to know that, although it doesn't seem, he… Pete cares a lot. You, of all, should be the one to understand it better than the others… Pete, being himself, is quite… retarded when it comes to show emotions. Although nobody beats me when it comes to the "inability in relating with other human beings" tournament, our dear Pete here - she turns to look at the older woman, a little smile on her face, her right index and thumb united in front of her dark eyes – comes that close…"

Jac pauses, the others already on the plane, just the two of them still on the soil, in silence, motionless, then, after having lowered her gaze and lifted it after few seconds, she looked at her much more younger team-mate, a grin of realisation – of sudden realisation, like an epiphany – on her face

"So, our Pete here was your heart's desire? Never thought of it, although Brian had once told me that before the marriage, Pete was involved with another member of the clubhouse… - she pauses, looking at Chris, open mouth and red cheeks, silent, wordless, like unable to understand how she got the answers - the lipstick on his face. same colour of yours. You should be more careful, I doubt that you want everybody to know that you and your boyfriend make out while on mission, right?– she pauses, turning her look from her to the plane – besides, he is really not my kind of man… - she pauses, getting closer to the younger "heroine" – You didn't seriously think that I'm interested in him, do you? Relax, Chris, Pete's all yours… in every, possible sense. But let me tell you something, Chris, take it as a counsel from an eldest… it seems to me that Pete's not the only one here with "inability to relate with other human beings" issues… after all, you said by yourself. But whatever there's between the two of you, act on it, do something. For the majority of us, life's too short, and, with our work, you can never know when your day will come. If you don't want to end having regrets, to end like Sid did, wanting back something he no more had, you have to do something about it, 'cause I know Pete, and seeing how he acts around you, I think that he is just waiting for something to happen before to move… this something being the move of the other one being involved with him. He is waiting for you, he doesn't want to push you too much, it seems. – again she pauses, already both of them on the plane, and again she turns toward the scientist – and, last thing, you don't have to be worried about that sir thing… it's just that, to convince him to do something people wants him to do, one has to feed his ego a little, although I think that he could enjoy being called "sir" not just on field…"

_London,Larden Road. the day later._

"Didn't waiting for you to show up outside the prison and hug me, petal – Pete says as they leaves her car, her black Ferrari she hasn't been able to abandon, and park outside a Victorian residence in a not so good state, it looks like many works are in progress – not to mention you driving me here… wherever here it is. – he says a little sceptical, after a whole silent drive, as the scientist, dressed with a white, blue stripped shirt, unbuttoned for the first 3 buttons, a pair of beige pants, a waistcoat in the same colour and high heeled beige sandals, unlocks the door, showing him the entrance, driving him inside

"Make yourself at home" she says, as she snaps her right hand's fingers, turning on the light on the whole floor, going to seat- better, jumping on the still covered with white covers sofa in the living room, removing shoes and waistcoat.

"Looks like you thought to everything, sweetie- he says, a small grin, as he sits on a chair, still covered like the sofa, and takes a bottle of beer from a box on the floor, near the box of Chinese food - Repeat: where in the hell are…- he pauses, the bottle near his lips, as in shock, as he sees a portrait on the fireplace, something he even hadn't noticed before. He looks at the image, then at her, then at the picture again, and so on. – wow. Seems that I'm looking at your reflex in that bloody portrait…"

"Mum- my biological one, at least, at my age. She was already married. From at least 5 years, actually. 3 or 4 years before my birth- He knew her parents, her real ones, lived somewhere in the neighborhood, but he didn't know the exact place, nor that she had come back to live there – It's still under restructuration… I haven't been here in more than… after I've been adopted, I've come here not as often as I wished. After all, I have so little memories of them… even when I moved here, in Britain, the first time, I mean… - she pauses, drinking a little from her bottle, smiling, looking at the place, like satisfied- But since this is the Johnson Residence and I'm just a plain Johnson now, I thought it was about time to face… you know, my inner ghosts, my past, my real legacy… For now, I come here only for, you know, think, this sort of things. When I want to stay on my own, but I'm planning of doing of this place a proper home, a place where I can feel I belong to…" he goes to seat on the same sofa, and offers her another bottle, as she seats near him, crossed leg, hair free, as he does the same, remaining in socks, without jacket, sunglasses and tie.

"I guess it's why you wanted to take things slow with me, right? You have all the reasons… you have to find yourself first, and I respect that, really, and I know that this is happening just because of me, that's my own fault… my bad karma, you know, all the bad things I've done etc. etc… - the grin disappears, as he pauses, and she leans against him, his head on her right shoulder, hugging his left arm, and, as her look changes with his one, he changes topic, too – you know, I gave him a gun, I wanted him to… I hoped he would commit suicide… I couldn't… I can't bear the thought of a trial."

"In your place, I'd probably do the same, Pete, maybe even worst… God, I swear, if he'd be Lucas… Bishop, I mean, I'd not given him the chance of suicide… I'd kill him myself."

"He thought I could understand…." He says lowering his eyes.

"I don't need to read his mind to know what he told you, nor to read your one to know what your heart's desire was. nobody cares about you and what you do, and then, the only persons who care about you and make it better die… Guess it's what Sid told you, more or less, but look at this place… it's easy, giving up, accepting what you have always wanted… you even can't understand what you are doing… but you do it. And when you realize it, it's too late, and the world has already gone to hell… I could have accepted his proposal, and I'd be here with them – she says giving a look at the portrait- Plokta… he showed me something I've even never know I was thinking about… I was there with them, I had a wedding ring on my hand, again, I was no more alone carrying the burden of this powers and their responsibility, and I was carrying a child… I even already did have a child! – she gestures at him, avoiding to tell him, for now, that he was part of the picture, and that the children were, actually, his own children - and, most of all, I wasn't hearing any voices from the land of the dead ones. And you? Pete, I know you well enough to understand that you just play the part of the toughest man alive… You wanted back the ones we've lost… you could have your family back, our friends, the one we've always cared for! As Plokta said, the temptation is always there, mighty. And Sid….He lost it, he was going to doom the world to destruction! He was ready to… he was destroying the world… but he was doing it out of love."

"It was false. Everything. Just… a lie."

"a good lie, Pete, something few people is even ready to die for."

"But, at the end, he didn't kill himself. And wonna know the worst of it? I knew it. God – he says searching for a cigarette in his pockets, a bad habit he just re-found few days earlier, taking one and concentrating on it– I'm sick… I'm so sick of losing everyone I care about… maybe it's really time I ask for retirement and go to live in some desert paradise island…"

"Maybe, the whole point is understand whom you're loyal to… Sid puts his loyalty for himself and his egoism behind everything else… but, once you put the world behind yourself, maybe…"

"Yeah, sure, whatever…" he says, hand on his forehead, eyes that don't look at her but at the ceiling, throwing the cigarette directly into the fireplace.

"You know, when Jac and I spoke about that encounter in NY, and I told her I didn't remember any of that… it was a lie. In fact, I remember her very well, Sir… - she suddenly says, playing with a lock of his black hair, head on his shoulder, almost whispering in his ear, biting her lips with a mix of malice and shyness, don't knowing exactly why she is doing it-for showing him that she does still have an impact on him, or to drive his mind somewhere else, and, as she does so, he gives her a questioning look –but, I didn't like the way you seemed to flirt with her… you made your agent a little jealous, do you know that, sir? –she says again underlining the last word, like to try something, like, she even doesn't know exactly what, maybe to turn him on - I'm still supposed to be your girlfriend, after all … – she continues, as she draws circles on his chest with her right index, telekinetically starting to unbutton his shirt, as she does the same with her left hand – besides, I so hate when people tells me that I'm wrong, and everybody keeps telling me that I'm wrong about you, and we don't want to give them that satisfaction, do we, sir?"

"And we don't want you to apologize to them for being wrong, but… - he looks at the floor, not at her yet, a little smile on his lips, a hand on her cheek, the other on the sofa to help him to stay in position. –although I've never imagined that I could love so much the sound of the word "sir" whispered by your lips and I think I could get used to it… no" he says, almost whispering, kissing her gently on her cheek.

"But, Pete, I thought that…"she says, disappointed, puppy eyes, as he puts back on her the clothes, taking her for the hands, not letting her go of the embrace, suddenly, she finds herself silenced by him – by his kisses. His hands around the oval of her face now, lips on lips, not lust, not hurry, just the force, the urge, the need to convince her – and reassure himself.

"shut up and stay here with me, Chris, just… shut up and stay close. I don't want to let you go…I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise that I'll keep you safe… I know I was the one that told that we weren't suppose to take things slow, not at this point at least, but… - he pauses, turning his eyes away from her, whispering something, like bubbling, like to not let her understand what he just said.- ------------ "

"What?" she asks, as he is still keeping her in his arms, her head on his chest, and, as Chris starts to look in his eyes, he quickly gives her a tender kiss on the lips, smirking. Soon he lowers her, and she finds herself in his arms, her head always on his chest, hearing his heartbeats that calm her, eyes in his eyes, her arms around his neck as she is drawing circles with her fingers on the back of it.

"I think I'm in love with you. There, in that damn thing, I saw… I saw everyone I cared about, everyone that I've lost, everyone that I still have. And, as Kitty told me she was happy you were ok and we were good, I understood it. I wonder why I haven't realized it yet – he says, still smirking, a vein of sadness, though, perceptible on his face, as she still keeps drawing those circles on his neck, a strange look on her face; he knows she hides something when she bites her lips that way, with that expression in her eyes.- We have time, I told you, and if you want to take things slow, you know that I'm okay with that…"

"no, Not that, it's just that… I mean, It's just that… do you want to know a secret?"

"It's not about a secret alien invasion, right?" sarcasm in his voice, but, still, he remembers that she did know about the invasion, and didn't trust him with this information…

She looks intensively in his eyes, her lips close to his one, able to feel his hot breath, still full of the taste of tobacco and beer "I never thought that I could say it at loud, but, you have to know, Mr. Peter Winston Wisdom, that I'm in love with you, too…"

"Me too. I'm not going anywhere, with anyone. But – he says as he puts a finger on her lips – I want you to be totally ok before to go all official on everybody and…. And before to do such a commitment. I want it to work, and to let it work, I need… we need you to be ready. I know you probably think I'm probably being a coward here, running from the first real relation I had in a long time… but it's not the case. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not until – he says as he kisses her again – you'll be ready to join me."

_Somewhere else…_

"they know… they know about the sword. But we're ready to move. Master at arms…" he says form the terrace of his castle, looking at the planet under his dominion.

"Yes, Master Dracula?"

"get me doctor doom… and tell our forces in London to prepare phase one of the assault. We'll finally have our Nation, and whoever will dare to stay in our way, whoever stayed in our way, we will be done with them… call the viscountess Lilith, Captain Fate and Lucien… tell them that we are finally ready for step two."

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: the F4 travel to Welsh for Christmas, but there's something weird going on there, and who better than MI 13 can find out what's going on there?


	24. MI13 AND F4: The Christmas Monster

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 and Fantastic Four with their whole cast belong to Marvel Comics. Speaking of which- Spoilers from Fantastic four issue 564 and 565. (note: yes, i've laerned that Cap and MI 13 is going to end... too bad. fortuntely, I wa already working on something else, now I just have to see how the serie will end to decide how to put all the pieces together... now, let's go on and have fun!)

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CHRISTMAS MONSTER

"Typical Americans, always with their entrances…"

The place, is a large natural square, in a city called Iarmailt, in Scotland, in front of a cathedral and near the hills. The time of the year, it's Christmas' Eve – a cold, windy, foggy and cloudy December the 24th.:it's been almost two weeks since the episode in Birmingham, and Sid's betrayal.

"Pete, remember it's me you're talking to, please" Pete, standing on the frozen soil, is keeping the door of the black Ferrari open for her – still sat at the passenger's seat, crossed arms, eyes annoyed and angry with him that don't look in his direction – while looking at the futuristic vehicle that's landing close to them. Leaning against the car at crossed arms, knowing that if there's something that can drive her madder than him driving her car (which he did) is someone leaning against said jewel, he rhythmically drums with his right feet against the soil, looking at the people who just left said futuristic vehicle. "You know, Luv, They're coming here"

"I know" she coldly answers him, biting her lips.

"Leave the car, then."

"…. – a moment of silence, she looks at him, like praying, and he looks at her, sunglasses on, like he wanted to teach her some kind of lesson – Are you sure there's no national emergency at all? Maybe Morgan LeFay is up to something….or the Fury is back… or same kind of monster attacked the Queen, or Merlin went all mad on us again…"

"I never thought I was going to say that to you, Chris, but – he says as he has to take her to convince the brown-head to leave her spot, placing her in front of him and keeping the girl for her shoulders, from the back, to avoid an escape he knows she is thinking about – start to act like the grown-up you are. Here they are. Be nice, and say hello and thanks." As he says so, a group approaches them.

"Muriel, Hamish, this is the person I was telling you about… Dr. Johnson has been a student of mine, in the past; she even worked for me as my assistant for a while, after she graduated from MIT." as Chris is still silent, as in shock, almost in tears and embarrassed, the man who Reed Richards introduced as Hamish is shaking hands with her; after a minute Pete shakes the man's hands, seeing that Chris is giving no response at all till now, still acting as in front of her there was some kind of void.

"Hi, I'm Pete Wisdom, I'm Chris'… - he hesitates, not knowing exactly how he has to introduce himself; it's the first time he has been introduced to one of her former acquaintances, left out her "brother" and Pepper, but back then it was different, and they weren't even together, if what they are doing right now can be called being together- Chris' boyfriend, nice to meet you."

"Mmmmm…yes, well – she says, hands in her pockets, eyes on the soil, breaking the awful silence – we want you to know that we appreciate your sharing with us your house over Christmas and that it's a pleasure to meet you all…."

"What she is trying to say, it's "Thanks again for the hospitality". She loves so much the sound of her voice, that she has always to over-speak."

"Yes, it's what I said –she almost whispers to him – well, ehm, it's… good to see you again, Dr. Richards…. Last time you weren't exactly in… good shape, so, I'm glad that you, you know….and that Susan is… I don't mean alive, I know, but, you know, I'm sorry I didn't make it to her burial, but, well, not exactly her burial, you know what I mean, right? It wasn't exactly her burial, although, technically and biologically speaking, it was, what I mean is… well, you know what I mean …"

"take a bloody damn breath, luv, easy. Say that you're sorry and bring back that bloody damn smile of yours…"

"It's not necessary, Mr. Wisdom. The very fact that she is here testifies the fact that she is sorry and repented for what she did. And, to be honest, I have to admit that I don't blame her.- he pauses, smiling at her – and it's just Reed, Christine."

"Yes, but, still, I'm sorry for what I did, I didn't have to. You and Tony have always been nice with me, and what I did to you… -she hesitates for a while now alone with Pete and Reed, trying to find the strength to look at her former teacher's eyes – now I know I did a mistake, and I want to let you know how grateful I am for the opportunity you're giving me, and also for the opportunity you gave me in the past, and I hope you'll give me some opportunities even in the future, because I've always been grateful for what you taught me, I mean, I'm the queen of insecurity, and you've been the one who make me see that I was actually the smart one between Tony and I, well, actually, you just tried, because I'm still working with Leonard Samson for these little problems of my soul, but I'm glad you did and…"

"As your boyfriend said, breath, Chris, or you'll die. – Susan Storm-Richards comes closer to them, smiling at Chris, followed by her children, the almost 9 years old Franklin and the almost 3 years old Valeria –Like Reed said, we don't blame you. after all, you were just a kid put in the middle of something bigger than yourself, right? – Sue continues, as she hugs the brown-head, the former Stark almost in tears – It's nice to see you again, Christine….I'm sorry for everything that's happening. You're paying for other people's mistakes. How are you?" As she says so, Chris sighed for Sue's embrace, her whole body still in pain after the battle with the mindless ones.

"Well, you know me, I'm always up to something… saving the world, creating some kind of new engine, artificial intelligences, my usual stuff. – she makes a step back, and massages the back of her head –so, it's not like I've all this time to think about my misfortunes. Switching topic… What do you tell me about the greatest family of adventurers of the whole omniverse? "

"Val's smarter than Reed and Ben is engaged."

"So, Val's definitely Dr. Richards' daughter… Damn, I'm pretty jealous, she is not even 3 and is probably smarter than me… I bet she'll be at MIT before Tony and I did…" as they say so, they move towards Reed's old family, who are speaking with some of the villagers; as they approach them, Chris offers her hand to the woman called Muriel, who's close to Ben and his Fiancée, Debbie.

"I can't tell you how grateful we are for your courtesy, madam. I hope we aren't causing you any problems…"

"As I was telling Ben and Debbie, it's not a problem. Reed's family and Friends are like our own ones… it's a pleasure to have you all with us for the holidays."

"Well, although I'm sure Mrs. Richards already told you, I want to tell you in person how I appreciate the fact that you allowed us to stay in your home, and that you agreed to make room for me too. I know that I wasn't supposed to be here, but Chris is currently the closest thing I have to family and I couldn't think of stay away from her that long…" Pete says kissing the woman's hand, charming and as he was the perfect gentleman, as Chris and Sue look at him, at his back, crossed arms and annoyed expression of the former Stark's face.

"do I have to suppose that I'll have to treat the dress for Ben and Debbie's wedding in the right way?" Susan sends a glare to the younger one, sarcastic as never before.

"Please… like I didn't know well enough that I'm the closest thing that he currently has to a mentally sane and not wanted family… now that I look at it, we're almost in the same situation… his sister is one of the most wanted criminals of the kingdom, my brother is the most wanted man on the planet… - she pauses, leaving out the sarcasm and coming back to her usual seriousness, approaching Pete and starting walking at arms with him, like Reed and Sue are doing, coming closer to Hamish's place, where tea is already waiting for them – Sue, really, thank you, for everything…"

"I can't agree with her more… we've been through some real big madness recently, we needed a pause… and this is perfect, Mrs. Richards. I can't thank you and your husband enough for letting me stay…"

"Believe me, Mr. Wisdom, you're definitely not the only one who went through some crazy madness, recently…-Sue says, as Reed's arms stretches – we all needed this."

_(Later, that afternoon)_

"My God, I think I'm in love with this town… - Chris, jeans, white shirt, a grey pullover, heel-less shoes and a light beige coat, says as she is in front of a shop in the Centre of the town with Susan and Muriel, who's showing them the neighbour and just entered a shop to buy some candles for Christmas day – I've spent so many years in the US, that I'd forgot what this country could look like…". Sue looks at her, she seems more relaxed than the way she used to be when she was younger, and she seems to shine, to be happy, comfortable in her own skin, for once. Even her British accent is almost back, although she still tries her best to put it back to where it belongs.

"Yeah, I know, I feel the same way; it looks so… untouched – Sue pauses, as she looks at Chris, busy playing with what it looks like an ancient bracelet with a black gem on it, on her left wrist; she knows that she was having problems with her powers, after Genosha and mostly after the invasion, and that now, every time she is around people, she keeps on herself a power-dumper –so, what's dr. Johnson up to? Or do I have to call you already Dr. Wisdom?"

She knows Sue's joking, and she likes this, it means that there is no tension between them, that the fact that she spied on Reed for Xavier is already behind them. "I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for something like that… I mean, Pete's as perfect as he could be with me, but I'm not sure he is ready for a step like that. Or that I'm ready, for what it matters. It's just that, it seems like yesterday that… well, you know what I mean. And besides, it's little bit soon for talking about that…"

"you look better than the last time I saw you. What's the great doctor up to?"

"Told you, saving the world, A.I., new technologies…"

"Actually, Chris, I was talking about what you do now for a living, you didn't tell me, what are you, a spy? And that boyfriend of yours… Where in the world you found that hot and caring guy?"

"Mrs. Richards? –a woman running approaches them desperate, tears in her eyes – I need to talk to you, it's about the safety of the children, I.." but, before she could end the sentence, an old man puts an hand on her shoulders, stopping her from going further.

"Rhona, don't bother the visitors, and you all, excuse her, she is just our wee eccentric…" with these, they both leave, leaving Chris and Sue stunned, unable to say a word or to react to the young woman.

_(Christmas Eve, at night…)_

"Geez, no TV, and just one channel…. What are you, a third world country?" The kids are already on bed, while the adults are at Hamish and Muriel's, in their sitting room; Ben and the owner of the house are on the armchairs, their ladies sat on the armrest or their lap, the others on the sofa.

"C'mon, Ben… it's relaxing, for once, not having to deal with emails and texts and calls…" as he says said words, Reed is smiling, like shining. Chris knows him from her old MIT days, and has never seen his at this easy around people; differently from her, he is having a good time; for Chris Johnson is different. It's not like she doesn't look the atmosphere, or being here with her "boyfriend" (who, a couple of weeks ago, wasn't so sure of the fact that he wanted to be her boyfriend), but she has never been at easy around people, mostly after she has started to not fall asleep at all, or, worse, after the nightmares have started; when you are a guest, it's not so nice waking everyone up in the middle of the night screaming and showing them telepathically images of death; the power dumper is the only thing that, right now, is keeping her powers, both old and new, at stake, but she doesn't know exactly how long it will continues to work; Hank has been pretty clear about the fact that the mutation is just at an early stage, and she has just to wait for the worst.

"Says the man who designed two new kinds of helicopter after we come here…" Sue sues him, playing with blonde locks of her hair, as she sarcastically remarks her husband's behaviour. On the other side of the sofa, Pete, dressed in the most causally way he knows (a jeans –first time she sees him with them-, white shirt, a grey pullover and no tie or sunglasses), puts an arms around his girlfriend's shoulders, forcing her to come closer to him, her head on his chest.

"Mrs. Richards, just to let you know, I know how you feel, since we're exactly in the very same condition…. My sweet flower is trying to hide from me the fact that even here she is working to turn a SHI'AR star-gate into something for human purposes… Like I don't know her well enough…"

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" she gently hits him on a shoulder with a fist, red in face, still dressed like during the day.

"Oh, I received a message from Johnny. – Hamish interrupts the little fight of the two couples - he said he should be here in a couple of hours…."

"I'm glad… he needs to rest as any of us. It's been a hard few weeks for us…"

"I'm glad to know that we are all in same shoe, Mr. Richards… at least I know I'm not the only one who's a little stressed out by what's happening all around the world."

"We're delighted that you all decided to rest in our home, and that you decided to come to church tomorrow morning. I know you are both scientists, you and your young colleague, Reed, and I may assume you're both not that religious…."

"My girlfriend's always head over heels for festivities, right, Honey? Especially when it comes to presents."

"Hilarious. Remember that I used to be a multi-billionaire, so I guess that it'll be pretty hard finding an appropriate gift for me, sweetie"

"Well, it seems that you are more hilarious than I am, right? I wonder what you get me for Christmas…"

"You drove my car; that was my gift. As I told you, I used to be a multi-billionaire, so it's not like I can afford that much… and, just to let you know, seeing you without your usual boring suits and your sunglasses is enough of a gift for me" she sarcastically tells him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Always that fun, my sweet luv…"

"Ehm, as I was saying, I think… Faith can have certain… benefits, cousin."

"And don't forget that the Roman Church agrees to the existence of both the evolution of species and the big bang, in fact, according to the encyclical called..."

"Luv, enough…." Pete shouts her up by giving her a quick kiss

"No, Mr. Wisdom, they are right… there's nothing wrong in believing in both science and theology. I've always thought that faith can move mountain. After all, sometimes I think that the only thing that keeps this town alive, and special, is believing in our God."

_(Christmas Day)_

"I want to sleep in this bed for the rest of my life…- As Pete puts on his face one of the many pillows of the king-size bed, trying to fight against the afternoon sunlight, Chris leaves the bath connected to their room, with just a pair of black silk and lacy panties on and a towel on her shoulders covering her breasts, and, noticing it, he sits down, looking at her coming closer to him with a devilish smile, already foretasting what's to come – I correct myself, I want to _stay _ in bed for the rest of my life, but I'm absolutely not gonna sleep…"

"Forget it, Pete, you're not gonna get laid today. Not until we're at someone else's place" she says smirking, as she gives him a punch on the shoulder, sending him in his place again.

"But, Chris, it's Christmas… I deserve a gift… - he says with his devilish look again, attacking her again, but this time with kisses placed from her neck, under her ear, to her shoulder – a wrist-watch is always a wrist-watch, and it can't compete with an original and signed copy of the entire collection of Asimov's works…" as he ends the sentence, he continues to kiss her shoulders, sucking her white skin a little, sending her heart-beat at the stars and making her shiver.

"Pete…" she is already praying him to stop, knowing herself too well, knowing too well the effect that he has on her, and, most of all, the effect that his actions have on her.

"Peter Paul Winston Wisdom never gives up, love. I'll have my Christmas present… whatever it takes."

"Pete, please, I'm still wet!"

"And that's the reason I'm doing what I'm doing…" he says as he continues to do what more than one woman has told him it's what he is best at.

"Pete… I'm serious. Enough now." _Pete, sometimes you sound just like a pervert. I can't believe that Sue finds you so perfect… _She composes herself again for a brief moment, taking in her hand the situation once again, looking with that "I KNOW IT ALL" look at him, in his eyes.

"Ok, ok, I got it, after all, I can't say I blame you, I mean, I was the one who wanted to take things slow, and if now you want to do the same…"

"it's more about not wanting to compromise myself with other people, Pete. Besides – she changes her serious tone to a malicious and evil one – I want you to give a look at something…"

"If it's something about you being naked, I'm okay with that, otherwise…" he tries to sound annoyed and mad, as he crosses his arms and looks in the other direction; meanwhile, she turns, sitting on the edge of the bed giving him her back and revealing to him the same back.

"Stop to pretend to be mad and check this out, jerk" As she says so, she lifts her still wet hair on, smiling proud, as he looks at open mouth at what he is seeing.

"You're evil - he simply states, still looking at it at crossed arms and open mouth: a tattoo, a stylized tribal dragon – black, of course – covering almost her entire back. – did you really thought that I could going on with having nothing but dirty thoughts after seeing this? I mean, it's the sexiest thing I've ever seen!"

"at least now I have a reason to call me Blackdragon… the Dragon pendant Tony gave me when I joined the Initiative was always broken or lost, so I thought to underline who I am with something else. What do you think about that?"

"I think that I've already told you what I think about it, sweetie… this is even better than the tri…- As he is going to end the sentence, once again close to her, going to kiss her new tattoo, smirking, they both hear people screaming outside, and Sue's hysterical cry, and people's talking about Valeria's mysterious vanishing.- this will have to wait. You hear that?" as he says so, he jumps and takes everything he needs from his suitcase, throwing something at her, too.

"I think that our vacancy is officially over, isn't it?"

_(Outside, minutes later)_

"Still no sign of the child? But, sir, tell me, did you honestly think it was wise let a child just wander off in the woods?" Valeria Richards is kind of… gone. It's like she vanished from the planet, on Christmas morning. Now, hours later, already night, after they've looking for her all day, they're still doing it.

"Are you blaming us, sergeant?" Sue's shouting at his face, her costume on, tears in her eyes.

"yes, madam. We can even charge you and your husband for neglect. Just because the children are the smartest being of the planet…"

"I've searched the wood, no sign of Val." Johnny says, as he lands on the soil close to them, still in flames.

"And I can't find a psyonic trace of her. I'm sorry, Reed, it seems that I can't help that much." They all turns, as they hear Chris' voice, and they see her, coming closer to them, approaching at their backs, dressed with a black leather and Kevlar outfit, with Pete at her side, dressed with a black suit with tie and, although it's already night, a pair of sunglasses on his hazelnut eyes.

"Sergeant, this isn't the time or the place for this… we'll help you from now on. – Pete says crossing his arms, coming closer to the police officer - It's time to upgrade to a house to house search…"

"Young man, I'm bloody sure I'll not take orders from a…." as the officer shouts at him, Pete, as cold as never before, like calmness was his usual stuff and nothing is happening at all, takes from his pockets a shield and throws it at the man's face, directly into his eyes – literally.

"I'm sorry for you, but I think it's bloody better if you take your bloody security and put it where it belongs, because as sure as hell you're going to take orders from me, because I'm at her majesty's orders… me and the nice lady in black at my back are MI:13, actually, it happens that I'm the boss of MI:13, and if I tell you that you'll listen to me and to the fantastic four, you just have to say two words, being "yes" and "sir". I hope I've been clear…"

"I feel so bad, it's like inviting you here could…" Hamish seems to not have enough words for them, as he embraces Sue.

"Not your fault, Hamish, but our own… – Reed says, avoiding looking at Susan; he looks like empty. –we're like magnets. Wherever we go, madness just follows."

"And wherever madness and weird things are, MI: 13 follows. – Pete says, shaking hands with the oldest man, removing once and for all his sunglasses, putting them back on the pocket on his chest – we'll help you, Richards. You've all our support… I'll leave agent Blackdragon with you, while I'll handle investigations from here."

"Thanks, Mr. Wisdom… - he pauses, then, a part of the old Reed comes back, and he looks at them, in the eyes, ready to be the leader of the greatest group of the planet –Ben, look at the forest from the soil. Johnny, check from the air. Christine, please, follow them and see if you can let your telepathy work…."

"Got it"

_(later)_

"Christine, what did you mean when you told Reed your powers are useless?" Both in the air, Johnny and Chris are checking the area. The human torch is surrounded by flames while he gazes over the calm and dark sea, while around Chris a violet aura shines, making even her eyes looking like a precious stone.

"you see, Jonathan, my techno-telepathy doesn't work because here technology almost doesn't work, and my telepathy… - she hesitates, serious, her teeth closed – it's like my mind in blind, and I can't understand why. It's like everything around here is shouting up, and it doesn't make any sense… it's like I'm powerless again, but the difference now is that I'm not powerless….damn, I could have been able to feel something, even just for osmosis..." she just whispers the lat part of the sentence, as she sees Johnny jumping between the waves, his body no more on fire, breathing to take as much air as he can before to swim in direction of where he said he saw her; immediately, she follows him, her body surrounded by a violet light, a telekinetic bubble in order to let her breath underwater and to avoid the need to swim; when they emerge, they are in a cave, hidden by the water, dark and scary even more than the bat-cave, and the furniture, because there is furniture all over the place, makes it look like a temple… a temple full of bones and skeletons.

"The interferences are coming from here; my headache is telling me that we are closer to whatever is shielding the town…."

"Frankly, St... –He is going to says, but corrects himself, since he ahs heard Reed calling her with another name – Frankly, Chris, I don't care, I just want to find Valeria…"

"Uncle Johnny, Dr. Johnson, is that you? –a crying and screaming Valeria jumps into her uncle's lap, as he knees to take a better look at child, keeping her closer to him, hugging her tighter then possible- I'm so sorry I let he capture me… I tried to fix the jacket to escape, but the damage was too big, and I'm so sorry…"

"Be quiet, Valeria – Chris says as she knees near her as well, seeing that, after all, being smart isn't exactly helping Valeria that much – did you see who take you? Can you describe it to us?"

"It's… it's… it's… – she pauses, then turns, her eyes again full of tears, close to crying – right behind you"

as she says so, they have to time to see what's coming, or where it's coming from. The tentacles seems to be everywhere, to fill the entire place… and, assure as hell, it looks like that; but Johnny Storm is still the human torch from the F4, and Chris Johnson didn't exactly started to play that game yesterday; fro the both of them, it's the same, it's all about instinct; the time of reaction doesn't exist for them, they simply do it, as the threat manifests itself, like it's automatic. And so, at the same time, flames are against the creature, and a violet shield is protecting them, the child in particular.

"Great, it's flameproof, of course… just my luck." As Johnny says so, he takes Val in his arms, and starts to run, Chris at his back, taking one of the few tunnels, starting to fly across them, being careful of not igniting his niece.

"But my telekinetic shield could help us a bit, slowing him down enough to let us go…" Chris is still surrounded by the violet light, manifestation of her powers, flying at the Torch's side, as she speaks like to end Johnny's sentence with her own.

"C'mon, Val, you don't have to be afraid, we'll find your parents!"

_(back at the village)_

"People, we need….Help!" as they emerge from the soil, in the centre of the town, falling all the 3 of them on the soil, Chris' shield collapses, leaving the creature free; now they can clearly see it, it looks like an hybrid between a carnivore plant and one of the creatures meet by Captain Nemo, described by Verne into his Nautilus series books; as soon as they land, Val is into her brother's protective arms, bringing her the most far away possible, and Chris is joined by Reed and the others.

"We have to hit it with everything we have… Ben, Sue, Johnny, Christine, follow me… the ones without powers should stay away, including you, Mr. Wisdom, although, being MI13, I assume that you do have powers, don't you?"

"Well, Dr. Richards, as you so gently pointed it out, just because I don't hang around with spandex, it doesn't mean that I'm powerless; besides, our Majesty couldn't put in charge of MI 13, department of weirdness, supernatural, alien and mutant stuffs, someone… - he says with a grin, eyes on sight, putting his right hand in front of Reed's face, fingers stretched, like nothing, like it was natural, just to "activate" his hot knives immediately after, for just a second, doing something similar to what Wolverine always does with his claws – who can't play this little game…"

"I suggest a simple plan; we hit it with everything we have; flames, things, hot blades, forces fields, telekinetic swords or bubbles or whatever you do now…"

As Reed says so, it's like the chivalry just arrived, and they jump on the creature, at the same time, together; as blasts of telekinetic energy keep coming from a flying Chris, the mutant girl finds herself close to Johnny "Human Torch" Storm, who is trying his best to hit the thing first, and avoid –like she does similarly – the objects that Ben is throwing at the thing, second.

"It's nuts… we keep hitting it with everything we have, but it's like it's invulnerable…!"

"Johnny, melt the ground, it will slow it down!" Sue screams, flying like them.

"I can try cover your back, Storm, but I'm not sure how long my kinetic shield will keep the beast away from us!" as days before, Chris shines, literally, as, in front of the creature, in the air, she stands, arms open, open eyes, a golden light erupting from them, closed teeth, like the ones of a beast similar to the one she is facing; as she says so, Johnny starts to do as Sue told him, and, immediately, the beast doesn't just slow down, but falls.

"Change of plans, sweetie – Pete screams at her, as she starts to hear the creature screams into her head, as all the other voices as well – let the beast stay, and go to help the Invisible Woman…."

"Can't agree more… - Sue almost whispers, knowing that Chris is hearing her; that, now, as the "monster" is falling, no more she is deaf to her, to them, to everyone – these people must hurry up… these old houses are heavier than what they seem…"

"We can't handle it… I can't… we can't… - Reed is stretching as much as he can, as Johnny, Pete and Ben keep hitting the thing – we can't handle it, even with Sue and Chris combined powers…. It's simply too much for us! We have to… we have to find a way to contain it once and for all!"

"Ehy, butt-face, your dreamy girl is still here, still hungry?" everybody of them hear the voice, a soft, almost whispered voice, the voice of a kid, not even 9… and when they look up into the sky, the see Franklin holding Valeria in his arms, flying jacket on, right before the monster's eyes.

"Franklin, God, what do you think you are doing?" as Sue sees the children, her voice trembles, unsure, in panic, but she hasn't to be, because Franklin's voice is as sure as never before, he is sure of himself, as much as a 8 years old with super-powered friends and family but powerless could be.

"The fantasti-car is the only thing that can contain it! – he screams, as he turns direction, still Valeria in his arms, flying now in direction of their vehicle – I'll try to herd it into it!"

"He is right… - Reed says, as he leaves the monster go – be careful, it's right behind them!"

"Now – Sue says as she and Chris send their "force fields" against the monster, already part of it inside the "car" – we finish this!"

"But the car will not be able to stop for too long… it's too unstable!2 Reed's screaming at his wife, children in his arms.

"Sue, hit it with the hardest thing you find! I can handle it for still a while!" as Chris is screaming at Sue Storm, blood leaves her noise and her ears as well, her headache as strong as never before. She is collapsing, soon she'll no longer be able to handle the creature. But, as always, Chris is lucky, lucky because she has the habit of not working alone, lucky because Sue storms is like a lioness, a lioness who just wants to defeat who tried to hurt her children, a lioness who has just found something big – the biggest thing she could find in the whole town, and she doesn't give a damn about how blaspheme it can be - this is... this is for scaring my daughter!"

As she says so, as she hits it with the cathedral, the creature falls, in pieces, not showing a single movement, no more alive.

"No… Look… Look… – The people from the crows start to tell at the same time, almost everyone the same thing, in front of a devastated town, now no more habitants of their own houses – they killed him… they killed Korgo!" "No, it's impossible… what will happen to us, what it will be of us? What do we do now?"

"What are you talking about?" Reed asks, as he over-hears their speeches; the "super-heroes", alone on their own, look in disbelief at the people of the town.

"Please, someone told me I'm hearing it wrong… I can't actually believe this…" Chris is at crossed arms, at the soil, the salt of the tears that are already leaving her eyes – because she has understood what happened – is mixing itself with her blood, she can feels it, its taste, in her lips, in her mouth.

"No crime, no death, no sickness, no diseases, Reed. Did you really think it happened by chance? Korgo… - Hamish whispers, holding his son and wife in his arms, crying – Korgo looked at us, protected us, he made this place looks like a paradise… All we had to do, was giving him a child of his choosing on Christmas morning… one for each generation… for more than 2000 years."

"Please, tell me I'm getting it wrong, I can't believe…_hell, at least it's not something I set free… glad I'm not the one to blame for once, sweetie."_

"You… you arranged this? I can't believe….my daughter…" both Sue and Chris are trying their best to not hit them with their fields.

"We had, to, Susan – Hamish remains calm, as nothing is happening at all, he talks sweetly at them, playing his role, the role of the good parent– this year, he wanted Angus, so we asked him if he wanted something better, and there's nothing better than the daughter of two super-heroes…"

"With all that cosmic radiations, so lovely…" Muriel keeps caressing her son's head, smiling, happy, shining, not carrying about anything at all.

"You promised him my niece? I can't believe it, you, you… " Ben stops Johnny, taking him for the shoulders, as he is going to hit them, to send them in flames.

"I know it sounds horrific, but, no one died here after Christ was born….4 children each century, it's a small price to pay if it keeps a whole town alive… we don't even have any unemployment…" as Hamish ends the sentence, Reed hits him, in the face, stretching his arm and his fist into his cousin's face.

"Bloody hell, better you then me, Richards… I was going to lobotomize the jerk!"

"Awesome, Reed, well done" Johnny smirks a little, almost grinning; true to be told, it's the first time he has seen Reed done this sort of things.

"I've called in the rest of the team, and others as well. We'll have to figure out what to do with these people. They could be charged for murder… as I told you, Mrs. Richards, you have our word that we'll figure something out… - Pete pauses, turning to look at Chris, her face sad, fixed on the children, on the people, and, removed again the sunglasses, with a hanky, a light red one, took from his pocket, tries to remove as much blood and tears and dust and ground from her face as he can. – are you all right, Luv?"

"I'm good, Pete - she says, as she hides her face in his torso, and she tries to switch topic – I've seen that you come prepared with your whole MI 13 equipment….hope you didn't know something strange was going on here…"

"Your noise and ears are bleeding, meaning that you suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, that, if I know you well enough, you are stopping with your powers…"he keeps caressing her head, feeling her scent in him, like the first time she has hugged her, a long time before.

"I swear, Pete, no cerebral haemorrhage, it's just superficial… - she pauses, looking in his eyes, playing with his tie, as always, when she feel guilty towards him – sorry if I convinced you to come here with me because I felt like I needed to be at peace with my ego…"

He knows her, though, and he knows her sweet tone, her black eyes, and that she can't lie to him. "Next year we go to my dad. He is mad, but it's safer, luv."

"Next year? - She smiles of a malicious smile, still playing with the tie between her fingers, just before giving him a quick kiss. –make room for me on that desert island of yours and we're cool… - she says, turning again serious, looking at that damn people again – because right now, I really feel like going away and escape from this madness forever and ever…"

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: Dracula!


	25. MI:13: Vampire Nation part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with their whole cast belong to Marvel Comics. Speaking of which- Spoilers fromCap 10 and 11, with a cuple of hints about few dialogs belonging to New Avengers 49 and the first two issues of Iron Man's World most wanted story arc. (note: yes, i've laerned that Cap and MI 13 is going to end... too bad. fortuntely, I wa already working on something else, now I just have to see how the serie will end to decide how to put all the pieces together... and I know the title was "Vampire state", the "nation" is an homage to a quite famous tv-shows of the 80/90, that I happened to look at when I was a teen on syndacate, called "ALIEN NATION", and I thought to homahe it, also because there are illusion about the "vampire nation" into Dracula's story. Abnd, i was forgetting, I don't belong the movie "being John Malkowich - that my mum always loved.- either. now, let's go on and have fun!)

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CHAPTER 25: VAMPIRE NATION

_The Coach and Horses, One of the most popular pubs of Soho… ._

"So, what actually "Captain Britain's" agents do?"

At The coach and the Horses, one of Soho hottest but still more quiet pub of the entire Soho Area, Brian and Alistaire are sitting at one of tables, in company of two young tourists, the blonde and obviously semi-drank Tara, more at easy with people, and her best-friend and roommate, a brunette with short hair, Liz; while the first one is keeping company with a just as drunk Alistaire, Liz and Brian are joined at the table by the sound of the bell that announce the last round of drinking – and by the drinking itself, brought by Pete, who, for once, has left at home his usual jacket and tie, choosing, instead, to bring a simple blue-grey pullover on the shirt, and Chris, a pale grey Tommy Hilfiger wool dress, a deep V-décolletage, a bit over her knee, a black belt with a couple of décolleté of the same colour, who go to seat on Tara and Alistaire's side, serving the drinks to the couple of old friends and to the two new arrivals.

"Ok, people, last round, then we'll all have to come back to… to come back to whatever we bloody are supposed to come back to, I suppose… - Pete says looking at the small group at his table, in particular at Alistaire, the one he has more problems in the last months with; messing his hair with an hand, he smirk at the team-mate, not as drink as Stuart but close – looks like Stuart is having fun, here, and he seems to forget that I'm the one in Charge of Brian's hair … you are just a nerd who happens to have some magical qualities!"

"Let stay my hair, Wisdom! – he says, shouting at the still grinning team mate – and speaking about hair… it must hard to keep your hair that gorgeous when you're backpacking… you know, I'm thinking about getting out of this business…. -He says as he goes closer and closer to her, whispering in her ears. – Too many betrayals and losses… do you think I could get a rail pass and come with you?"

"Stop it, you jerk, you're playing "being Peter Wisdom" and I don't like it! I'm not the damn bloody John Malkovich of the situation!" Pete shouts at him, Tara in the middle, an annoyed look on his face, crossed arms.

"Are they really your agents?" Liz asks Brian, low voice, almost a whisper, looking a bit scared.

"Don't listen to him, he is just an old man who's unable to find any satisfaction around… we were saying, Tara? Oh, yes, I was asking you…"

"They are really agents… but not my agents."

"Good, because I feared for you" she answers, keeping drinking, while Alistaire and Pete keep arguing shouting at each other.

"But our dear Pete here, he is - he says indicating with the hand Chris – the boyfriend of such a delicate flower."

"Ehy, I've saved the F4 collective sorry ass! And that monster they faced… this time it wasn't my fault!"

"Ouch. I feel sorry for you, you know? Dealing with him mustn't be so easy, I mean, in you, I'd rather prefer…" Liz ménages to say to the girl who has been introduced to her as simply "Chris", but stops, seeing that the girl's attention is fully focused on the rerun TV, connected with the CNN, and it doesn't look like this is going to change any soon…

_''…in assuming control of SHIELD, in transforming that all too flawed agency of blame and dysfunction into the security force America need, My associate, Ms. Hand and I discovered a piece of intelligence obscured and buried by the previous administration. We found a memo that gives us reason to believe that Tony Stark, aka Iron Man and his right hand, Maria Hill, had just not a suspicion, but a conspicuous intelligence suggesting the imminent invasion. The memo seems to indicate that Stark and Hill were ready to negotiate for Hearth's safety… -Osborn says to the world, a grin too well hidden on his face –they are now my… Hammer's priority number one, and I'm asking them to turn themselves in for questioning. If they don't… soon every eye in the world, human or cybernetic, will be on the lockout for Tony Stark and Maria Hill. Any Questions? ''_

"That's. Not. So. Happening. To. Me." Chris almost whispers, hands covering her face, eye on the table, fighting hard to convince herself that she has to go on, she has to look at it, that, refusing reality, isn't going to change it; but she isn't already ready to look at him; for few minutes that seems like hours to her, she just hears him – the mere sound of Osborn's voice is already enough for her.

_''Mr. Osborn, what did they know? And when? Did they really try to negotiate with the Skrulls?''_ A man, in his 50s, asks, a NY Times badge right on his heart, but just a smart-phone to register.

"What? Are they getting mad or what else? The world is the hands of a psycho and they dare to think that Tony wanted to negotiate? The same man who shoot the Hulk into space because he was a treat? That's…. aarrgh!" She starts to gesture towards the television, almost having a dialogue with it; Chris closes her eyes once more, and again she regains control of her breathing and of the level of her voice.

_''Nice question, Casey. That's what we'd like to know, but right now we can't answer. We've got a lot of questions For Mr. Stark and Miss Hill, but, that they did or did not, either way was disastrous.''_

"Yes, because I'm so sure that a psycho murderer that went on the streets dressed as a Green Goblin and drove his own son mad could do so much better…"

"It seems that we are getting a little hot-headed here…"

"Chris – Brian answers to Liz, who's looking like in shock at the girl who seemed to be so normal, plain, calm and quiet until a moment before – is American. She has… her own issues with Osborn. And with Stark. Too."

"un-registered hero?"

"not exactly" he says, smirking, taking a long sip from his not-alcoholic drink.

_''How are you going to secure Iron Man's suits? Had Tony Stark access to them? Are there any loose suits?''_

_''I'm sorry, Tanya, but I think that how we'll deal with the suits is classified…but, needless to say, we'll do everything in our power – he says closing firmly his fist - to put our hands on all of them. And we are working for the public good, retrofitting the Iron Man technology. The Iron Man will no longer be Stark's personal toy for too long.''_

"Speaking of which… - Brian interrupts the hearing looking at Chris, who's at crossed arms, a worried expression on her face, like when she is thinking hard about something, mostly something she doesn't like – How many has he managed to build over the years? Are they in danger of ending in _his _hands?" he says not daring to say the name of Osborn, but knowing Chris Johnson-Stark well enough to know that this is everything she can think about right now.

"Contingency plan. Seeing all the possible scenarios is what we're best at. – she pauses, sounding as cold as the stone itself - The problem doesn't exist on this side of the ocean…. No more."

"Yeah, it seems that all the possible Stark Locations in Europe went kaboon! in the last couples of weeks – Pete says as he turns his attention towards them again, for a brief time – and I have to say, although the girl is definitely a grown up… this thing must be the death of her. Knowing that what you fought for, that what you created is going to hell, falling in the hands of people like him, or, worst, have to destroy what you built with your sole hands… - he takes a sip of beer, more drunk than before, and, putting his left arm around her shoulders, he rests his chin on her right scapula – although the thing has some positive effects, on her, thought. First, it's showing us that our belle dame sans merci does have a heart… maybe a stone cold one, but still a heart. Second, you had to see her when our delicate petal here had to blown up the London location; she got all sentimental about the armours she built for her big brother, and told me all the details about what they did and how she managed to project them… and, well, obviously, you can't know how sexy and hot and exiting she is when she goes in scientific mode, and, bloody hell, I can't resist to a hot MIT former student, and so, a thing brings to another thing, you start think about the doomsday scenario and everything else, and before you can realise it, you are on the floor, naked, surrounded by Iron man's armours…and, well, I think you all know how babies come to life, right?"

"You're annoying me, and you know what will happen if you'll keep to annoy me, right, Pete?" she asks, sarcastic, looking at him, fist under her chin.

_''Farrell, Pulse. Did Tony Stark actually committed any crime?''_

"See? Heard her tone? It's how people is supposed to talk to scum like him! Go, girl, go! I like that journalist! Don't you think she is great?"

"how much did she drink?" Liz asks cautious, shocked again by the brunette who looks like the quiet kind of person.

"My girl doesn't like alcohol, you know, bottle-addicted in the family, Only this non-alcoholic muck for her. And it's better if I don't talk about the wine she has… or the non-wine, if I may say."

"You're keeping annoying me.." she adverts him, an amusement note in her voice, making it clear that she isn't that serious about it.

_''I don't like your tone… but, we have questions, and circumstantial evidences. He is the only one who can answer… his head of security fled arrest. He unleashed a virus into Hammer's systems. And there's all the classified stuff you can't know about. Tomorrow morning, he has to turn himself in to Hammer in Central… I'm sorry, in Restoration park, under the watch of the media, or we'll assume that he is running. We aren't scared to threat him like he did when he run things… like he threat his own friends, like Bill Foster or Steve Rogers or Janet Van Dyne…'' _

"You know, Wisdom, you don't like me and I don't like you, so, why don't you avoid us to know all the sordid details about your sex life?"

"Shout the hell up, you traitor! You're just a sold off, and I don't give a damn about what you think about me and what you want or don't want of hear from me! if you don't want to hear it, you just have to leave or to close those damn Dumbo ears you happen to have!"

"Pray God that I heard you wrong!"

"You didn't! it's what I told!"

"don't you dare!"

"I did and I still do!- he pauses – and, at least, I've a stable girlfriend, and I don't have to lay on random sex!"

"Now it's the two of you who's annoying me, guys… I can understand that you are drunk, but, seriously, do you really have to act like 5 years old?"

"Al…– blondie says making circles with her fingers on his shirt, speaking seductively – why don't you concentrate on me?"

"hm, hm…" he tries to nods.

"Al, could you give me super-powers?"

"Luv, you're already there…."

"He's stealing my words again! I told you to stop playing being Pete Wisdom!"

Somehow, hearing Pete and Alistaire "fighting" in the background, lights her up a little, forcing a little, small, minuscule smile to form on her lips, a smile that, soon, disappears, as she hears the next question.

_''What about Stark Industries?''_

_''They've been blown to hell, torn apart, sold off, taken over, failing. So, what about Stark Industries?''_ he says smirking, happy, satisfied.

"I can't believe that we were able to ruin all dad's work in just days…. We've never been up to his expectations, I knew this, but even in my worst dreams, I've never imagined that... I guess we've never been like him, we haven't been able to…" She almost whispers, sad eyes, suffocating a desperate crying. It's gone, over, done; the past… the past will never came back. They'll never have back what they've lost; on the screen, it remains the still image of a smiling and proud Osborn, something that makes her shiver, but, long before she could say that the shivers were gone, the journalist starts to talk again, sending a new footage of the new global hero…

_''But that's old story just now, this was yesterday… today we have a brand new exclusive… our reporters from New York are ready to show what's happening… we're sorry if we're running out of detail, but the press-conference has been announced just few hours ago, and now one knows exactly what's going on… am I right, Peter? ''_

"Please, someone tells me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing…"

_''ladies and Gentlemen who're watching us all over the world… as we start our healing, as we start to understand how we as a species have yet again triumphed over those who would try to take away what's rightfully ours, it's my honour to introduce to you your protectors, your warriors, your Avengers!''_

As she looks in shock on the screen, she seem the crowd, screaming of joy, eyes pointed on the stage, on an Iron Man, a Wolverine, a Captain Marvel, a Miss Marvel, an Hawkeye, a Black Spider-man, Sentry and Ares.

"Luv, I'm so sorry, I thought that Tony…." She silences Pete, as she looks at screen, where the Iron man is removing his helmet.

_''I'm Norman Osborn, the Iron Patriot, I will lead these New Avengers into battle against anyone who would threaten our way of life. I'm Norman Osborn, and I approve these Avengers!''_ As he says so, Chris' eyes start to shine of a golden light, so small and insignificant that just the ones who are at her same table can notice the small change. No more sad, the young Stark- the young former Christine Stark is simply mad, unable to accept what she just say, a blind fury ready to strike, full of the desire to hit and destroy someone… or something. That's the reason why, when the tv explodes in a shining light, pieces all over the place, Pete and her team-mates suddenly turn to look at her.

"Yea, yeah, I know, I know, I'm sorry, I just… I so wanted to kill that damn bastard and his minions, but I thought that… - she pauses, hands on her face, covering her eyes, almost desperate- Ok, so… we all just saw that, right? I'm not nuts…"

"Luv, I'm so sorry, I know they were your friends, well, most of them, at least, but…"

"It's wrong, it's all wrong… so wrong." She says, disgust in her voice and face.

"I know. You don't think the ones you are trying to emulate will betray your ideals, but sometimes…"

"No, no, it's not what I mean…. Ares and Sentry are the real deal, but Ares is Ares, god of War, and Sentry is a very, very sick man who should be committed somewhere far, far away form the planet, preferably. The new Captain marvel isn't even trying to look like the.. the original Captain Marvel, but the other ones… the body structures are all wrong. They're not who they are trying to look like. They are just dressed up like them, but they are not them! And this is even worst!" Brian knows Chris from a long time, the same amount of time Pete does, but, differently from his "boss", in such a long time, in years and years of frequentation with the British-American woman, he has never seen her like this. He has never seen her crying. Chris Stark was strong, she never cried, she never showed her emotions. She was like a stubborn, cold, and sometimes icy white queen dressed in black and with no serious world domination and mass-murders issues. So, when he sees the tears leaving her black eyes, he is quite surprised, as he is by Pete's reaction, who took her in his arms and gives her sweet and tender kisses on her forehead and hair, caressing her back.

"I used to live there… it was my place. There are all my things… it felt like… home. And I designed it, and took all the pieces of furniture by myself, and I really had a great time there… and Ronin and Logan and Miss Marvel even asked me in… - she cries like a little baby, her head in his shirt, like always when she is this way – it's not right! Now I'll never be able to put a feet in that place, because I'll always remember that one of those sick bastards was sleeping and who knows what in my apartment! My apartment, you understand it? My one!"

"Chris, I've fought many battles, and I've never seen a bastard who doesn't confess his crimes or his plans during a fight… I bet that soon Osborn will be old story and the real Avengers will be where they're supposed to be. – he lifts her chin, looking her into the eyes, and giving her a quick kiss on the lips – he'll lose the war. He'll fall. And when it will happen, we'll be right there drinking champagne, the both of us, and dancing on his grieve…" as he says so, he gives her another kiss, longer than the previous one, not so sweet but full of passion and a little of lust, grinning against her lips, as she takes a breath and moans, with a smile of appreciation, closed eyes, like in Heaven, and, as they parts, she bites her inferior lip, looking maliciously in his eyes, one hand still in his dark hair, the other one busy playing with his tie.

"That's so corny, Ali… I know you can do so much better…"

"Seriously, no more games, I just, for once, want a straightforward encounter…"

"Oh Ali, you know what? I'm in complete agreement!" the blonde says, as, jumped joyfully in his arms, starts to making out in front of everyone with Alistaire.

"Ok… well, I think – Brian says as he leaves his seat and takes his phone from the jacket- it's time we call a taxi…. all back to my townhouse, then?"

"Soundproofed walls?" Liz asks him as she leaves, followed by the other four, at Brian's back, smirking.

"Yeah, from previous experiences…." The British hero answers, as they all enter in the back of the same car, a typical black taxi, squeezed one against the other, with Chris with her head on Pete's shoulder, sad and dark as almost never before.

"Luv, soon he'll be defeated, I just know it. it's what always happens when criminals take the power…"

"It's not for Osborn, it's for… - she takes a big breath – it's for everything. After Genosha, I thought that things couldn't get any worst, but it just seems that… I don't know, it's just, sometimes I feel like the world is falling down… my world in parti…." She can't even end the sentence, that something hits them, falling from the sky on their heads; time crystallizes, and everything around them ends, falling into pieces, surrounded by energy – destructive energy. As a reflex, almost naturally, without even thinking about it, Chris lifts a telekinetic shield around them, obtaining only a lame result…

"My powers… they are not working! I can't shield us… - she whispers trying as hard as she can – I can't protect us… enough…it's like… it seems to be designed to work… against… my powers!"

"It's a spell!" in the lights, as Brian shouts with anger, they all can see now what attacked them, a not human creature, and, as it was natural, as it was true, as it was physical, Brian attacks him, breaking the "mystical chains" that allowed the spell to work, and, as it started, it ended, the world starts to turn again, everything is back in motion, and they find themselves again alive, on the street, near the now destroyed car, cadavers all around them, and a "living" creature in front of them, the very personification of a nightmare… a vampire, grey skin, fully transformed from only God knows how long, hisses, standing in front of Brian, arms open, ready to attack him with his claws, but, as soon as the British sees what's around him, he goes for the heart of the matter… the hearth of the vampire, removing it with his bare hands, seeing red, full of anger, hate, his pupils dilated, and, as soon as it started, it's over, and what once was a vampire, now stands on the ground, just dust. Dust, as the young woman who was with him, just like Liz. On the soil, her body is in pieces, but there's no blood, the cast transformed her into rock, and, as a rock, she fell, her body destroyed, her eyes still open, surprised, as Brian covers her mortal remaining with his jacket; kneed on the soil, her best-friend takes her head in her hands, trying to hide her face to the world and from the world as well, trying to not think about it, to not see it; crying, almost hysterically but silently, she continues to whisper "oh my God oh my god oh my god", keeping doing it almost without take any single breath.

"Brian, we should secure the…"

Emotionless, Brian stops Pete (already calling everyone he has in mind) from ending the sentence. He knows what it's going on, he was a team-leader, lead and tactics are his field. "No need for that. There was just one of them…Just one vampire, just one damn vampire with a remote spell-caster. Damn it…"

"Control, I'm Wisdom, everyone to come in, put the reserves on…" as he speaks at the phone with Whitehall, he looks at Brian, and, as him, he is almost in panic, he feels like lost, a sensation very common right now, for every single one of them; even Chris, who's at his back, hands on his shoulders, close to him, is trying her best to be strong, but it's damn difficult, mostly for Pete's physical tension, that's reflecting how worried he is, and his silence at the end of the call just makes things worse. It's bad, she doesn't need her telepathy to know it, she just has to look at him, read his body language.

"All the reserves are on the field… - he says as he puts the phone back in one pocket of the jacket, turning to look at Brian but keeping his eyes on the soil, frustrated – we've been hit hard… they're after all of us…"

At his back, Tara still in shock on the soil, Alistaire knees near the girl, trying his best to reassure her, but failing miserably: even the scientist isn't immune to what just happened to them. "Oh, Tara, I'm so sorry… I didn't know we were in danger… you can't imagine… I'm so sorry… we'll get you and Liz… where you were supposed to be… and I'm so sorry I can't help you now but… but obviously, we aren't who you thought we were… and… and we have work to do… a lot of things to do, and we have to do them very fast… and…. God, Tara, I'm so sorry…"

_An hour later, Medical Centre._

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault! I should have stayed, to protect them, but no! instead, I had to go to play soldier!" Faiza in screaming hysterically, closed fists on Brian's chest, soaking his shirt( or what remains of it) with her tears.

"this Is the job, Faiza, what we take on as heroes…remember that it's not your fault… it's Dracula's fault." Brian says looking at her, moving her away from his chest so she could look at him in the eyes, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"Brian's right – Chris says arriving at her back followed, seconds later, by Blade and Dane; of them all , the "vampire" is the one still wearing clean clothes, since he hasn't been hit directly; the former billionaire is still wearing her grey dress, threads shattered all over on her; crossed arms, scratches and bruises all over her, she is serious as she could be, and tries her best to not look as a cold bitch, as she often, in the past, did - they were protected in the best possible way… as well as anyone could have been. the only chance for Dracula to get there was… with help from the inside… he must have someone who has access to our files and security."

"I can't understand it…. – Faiza lowers her eyes and embraces herself, still crying - I don't get it, why take dad, why don't they just go for us?"

"Because it's not a normal predator we're talking about… vampires are sin in a carnivore body… evil incarnated… what your father could become in 3 days…"

"Everyone is looking for him, Faiza… powers, magic… Pete is getting the whole cabinet out of bed…" Dane is in front of the young Muslim girl, hands on her shoulders like Brian had before, but she still refuses to look at him, at them, or to stop to hold her.

"Listen, there's something I don't want you to do… all of you, but you, Dane, in particular… I don't want you to go on an heroic quest on my behalf… I need to handle this… if we get to him before he changes, but if we don't, then.. then… - she pauses- I mean, that I don't want you to take it out of my hands…."

"You've our word, Faiza, we'll do anything that you don't want us to do." Dane says, still keeping an hand on her shoulder; finally, Faiza looks at them, in their faces, fist firmly closed but a sad expression in her eyes.

"I'm… I'm so full of rage… I need to do something… I need… I want to find that damn … - she pauses, not knowing how describe Dracula – that damn thing and then…"

"That's good, because it's how we need you – suddenly, Pete arrive, joining them, followed by a group of agents; his shape is as bad as theirs, maybe even worst; he keeps his left wrist hardly pressed against his forehead, eyes half-closed, and just one sleeve of his pullover remains where it should be – I've got the PM, the JIC Chair, and the DGS of Box, and the SIS on call-waiting at 4 am… and I have no intention of bowing my head to, or even acknowledging, the grief that's engulfed us… because we have urgent work to do. – he pauses, look at them all in the eyes – say "sir"". They all know what he means, he means that there's no more time for crying, for games of whatever else they have in mind, now it's time to be sure, to act as adult, as heroes, as a strike team… it's time for work, they've just been called in for the job, and so, at the same time, they all answer to his call. "Sir"

"It was about you, Faiza, they didn't hit anybody else's family, just yours. they wanted you out of the games, the wanted the wielder of Excalibur out of the equation… and this is the reason you'll be in."

"yes sir" she answers, resolute, trying to stand still, to stand cold.

"And, from now on, this will be your codename. You'll be EXCALIBUR. Somehow, they fear it, so I want them to hear it… but listen carefully, we'll move as a team, it means that you'll not harm or pursue Dracula until you're under orders to do so. And once I'll order you… you'll harm him a great deal."

"Yes sir, thank you, sir."

"And neither of you can effort the luxury to give in… - Chris says few steps back from them, looking in their eyes, still crossed arms and still trying to look distant from whatever it's happening – Excalibur and Captain Britain aren't a mere symbol, they are the very personification of this Land… if the Captain fails… and if Excalibur gives up with her wielder… - she pauses, looking at Brian – well, I guess that Brian remembers what happened last time Morgan LeFay tried to kill him, don't you, Brian? In order to save the reign that, each time he was hit by Morgan, fell into pieces, he had to give his powers to a new Captain… if you fall, Britain will fall as well, and, once he will have us, there will be nothing on this planet able to stop Dracula…not just an army of vampires, but a nation, millions of soldiers at his orders… super-powered soldiers, if I may add. I think you know where I'm going, right?"

"Wait, I'm not done yet… unfortunately – Peter pauses again, hands in his pockets, lowering his eyes a little – we can't find Jac, meaning that we have to assume the worst there too… all kind of worsts. But… well, this is us, we're on this, our finest hour… it has to be. And now… Follow me, it's time for the council of war…" as he says so, he resolutely makes to leave, putting on again a new pair of black sunglasses gently offered by one of the agents just few seconds before, and, with the others, he goes in direction of their vehicles. He looks resolute, ready to face whatever they'll have to face; stubborn as always, Pete is the kind of man who tries his best to look sure of himself, without insecurities, ready to face and win against all kind of evil or darkness he'll have to face, but, as soon as he is in the backseat of the car with just Chris, he gives up, head in his hands, almost touching his knees, sunglasses tightened in one fist, eyes closed, sighing heavily.

"you all right?" And _don't lie to me, Pete… you're not supposed to lie to the one you keep calling the "greatest telepath of the planet…_ with her left, she takes Pete's right, and, holding it tightly and firmly, smiling of a sad smile, tries her best to reassure him, to comfort him.

"It's just that… - he pauses, trying to find a decent lie, trying to find a way to lie to her – I've just had every drop of alcohol sucked put of my system by a magic spell… I'm literally having the hangover from hell – he pauses, trying t fake a smile, smirking to her, lifting her chin with his free hand; he keeps smiling, but his eyes are sad – to be honest, I think that my hangover is having an hangover…"

"Pete – she answers him, resolute, mimicking his last move – don't. lie. To. Me. you simply can't… and not because I'm a telepath and I can read minds… but because I know you."

Pete Wisdom has known just one thing for his entire life. The sense of guilt, something that, still now, he is feeling, as, taking her head in his hands and pushing his face against her one, he forces her to let go of him.

"I'm so sorry, Chris… I'm just a selfish egoistic maniac… I didn't have the right to put you in danger just because I'm in love with you,… and now I can't let you go, because you've been already compromised, and…"

As soon as he says the words, he feels the collision of his lips on her ones, and, as they parted, she puts her right index on them, to silence him.

"Tony's dying… - she pauses, then she repeats it, to let him understand that it's not a mere supposition, but the whole truth and she knows what she is talking about – Tony's dying, slowly killing himself to avoid to see the SHRA database in Osborn's hands, turning his brain off… and if not for you, I'd be already dead by now… you didn't put me in danger, Pete, you saved me that day, from the Thunderbolts… - she pauses again, not removing her finger from his lips, knowing too well that the moment she'll do it, he'll say something – I knew the risks, from day one. I've been trained by few of the best men of this planet and beyond. You can't always be around me, Pete, and you don't have to be worried about me… I can take care of myself, and, whatever will happen to me, it will not be your fault. I hope that you know it, and understand why I'm doing what I – she is stopped by another clash of lips, but this time he is the one responsible for said action, that leaves her astonished and shocked and almost in silence for a while- do…" after a good couple of minutes, spend looking in the void beyond his silhouette, she finally ménages to end the sentence previously started; for the whole time, he had looked to her, her chin lifted by his fingers, rude and dark skin (gift of years of missions and hard training) sculptured by age, sun, and "wars", against soft one. He can't believe that such soft skin could be so full of bruises and cicatrices…

"You know, Agent Johnson, maybe my life isn't that bad… at least a part of it.-he pauses again, a silence that once their breath breaks, their breaths and a soft, tender kiss on the lips – is Blackdragon ready to go to war?"

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: the war with Dracula continues!


	26. Blackdragon Annual 2009: Broken Worlds

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with their whole cast belong to Marvel Comics, like any other thing - dc comics characters belong to DC comics and Marvel characters belong to Marvel.

Sorry if I updated later than the usual, but I've been away for a couple of weeks, and I decided to put a sort of interlude, the annual, 'cause I'm still trying to fix a couple oif issues I'm having with finishing vampire nation. Anyway..hope you'll like it like you did last year with annual #1!

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BLACKDRAGON ANNUAL 02: BROKEN WORLDS

A shadow figure approaches what used to be a window, in a place that it meant a lot for her, once, but that now has lost any form of meaning… from a long time now, actually. Invisible, inconsistent, she looks through the glass, at the outside, at the same thing she used to look to every single night when she was…when she was. She turns, and looks at the young woman sleeping peacefully in the bed at her right; crossed arms, sadness in her eyes, almost full of tears. She wishes to cry, she wishes to sob, she wishes to hold her, she wishes to take that breath, but she can't. she moves towards the piece of furniture, and tries her best to skim over the pale face of the young woman, who shivers, like she is feeling the presence at her side.

Trying again to skim over her, she kneels at her side, smiling, and then leaves her position, moving toward the mirror at the other side of the room; she makes a move, she acts like she is cleaning it, and, instead of her, she starts to see something different… she sees the reflection of the sleeping woman, her reflection and the ones of all her variants in space, time and dimensions….

_Together, at least. (or Old Man Logan's time-line)_

"Do your worst" these has been Clint Barton's 3 last words, before a man he used to believe in, a man he believed to know, betrayed him, firing at him, a single bullet, direct to the brain. No way he could survive. And, as it happens, Logan knows that he will be the next one, there's no way he could survive this one, not with these many SHIELD agents against him. maybe, once, when he was younger, but now… it's not just the age, and the "death wish" he feels from the moment he killed his friends, he is getting too old. His powers refuse to work like they used to be, Emma was able to make him see what she wanted, something that, when she was younger, wasn't even close to. And he knows, he knows too well that the same goes for his healing factor… and he is not even sure that his family, his love for his family, could be enough for survive. But, as they starts attacking him and he closes his eyes ready to embrace death, something happens, he feels like freezing, like time was slowing down around him, and, as he opens them, he feels her, her presence, and, as he looks at Barton's dead body on the carpet, he remembers what, days before, the archer had told him after he had confessed the truth about the deaths of the X-Men.

_"__You've not been the only one loosing someone, Logan. Heroes died all over the world… it wasn't you, Logan, evil won, that's all, but it doesn't mean that you had to give up."_

_"I didn't, Barton, I just found something that was worth it… worth living."_

_"I tried 4 times, and it never worked… Bobbi has just been the first of many failure, but – he says, leaving the beer on the table, and looking at it, like he could actually see it – but maybe, if I'd choose someone else, if I'd gave her a reason, maybe she could be still alive, maybe we could be both better persons, maybe, maybe…"_

_"I'm sorry" Logan answers, not even sure who Clint is talking about. He knows Barton enough well to know that soon the former Avenger will tell him everything, that soon the alcohol will talk in his place._

_"When Wisdom asked her to follow him and be a part of his team, I know she was doing a mistake accepting to stay with him, and… I tried to convince her to stay with us, you remember how hard I tried, right? And… and I can't forget the look in her eyes when she asked me to give her a reason to stay, but Bobby was back, and I couldn't let her alone, and when she kissed me… I so wanted to kiss her back, Logan, take her in my arms, even making love to her, I wanted to beg her for staying, but I couldn't, I rejected her, and all I could do was looking at her, leaving on that damn jet. And Wisdom even had the balls to show at my door asking for mercy because she was D.I.A., because Dracula had killed her that damn day… - he pauses – I should be the one asking for pardon, it's all my fault. If I'd gave her a reason to stay, maybe my Chris could be still alive…" _

"Stark?" he whispers as the figure approaches him, smiling, shining, her body like in fire, her white, candid vest like a star. He has never seen her like that, he has never seen her smiling like that.

"Hi James, It's been so long… I missed you all. - As she moves close to Barton's body, he follows her, and, as she knees near him, touching his forehead with her right, he follows her, open mouth and eyes, unable to do anything different from wondering what she is doing, how Chris Stark's….ghost or whatever it is, is doing, or going to do, or why she is showing just now. – Oh Clint, my brave Robin Hood… it wasn't your fault… Dracula killed me, when I refused to join his forces, it wasn't you… did you really think that I blamed you? You weren't ready for me, and the day you were, it was too late…. But it happens. – she caresses his forehead, stopping her hand on the hole left by the bullet – it's over now, Clint. You can finally rest… it's time for you to find the peace you've never had in life." As she says so, in front of her, another ghost-like figure emerges: Clint Barton how he used to be, and, smiling, he takes her hand, and follows her into the eternity, eternity and beyond, inside the White Hot Room. together, at last.

_What feels like home (or Heart 621*)_

She had to know it. once seen how spartan his place was, she had to understood how empty his fridge could be; after all, buying food and cooking it haven't never been in his chords, like paying attention to what he should put into an apartment: does 16 years with him really touch her nothing about this man? When they were together… when they were together, it had been in another apartment, in the same building, though, and she has always been the one who put the house in order, who arranged it, who bought food, who cooked it (or gave instructions to HERBIE about what and how do). As, kneed in front of the rather empty fridge, she examines it, dressed with just the shirt of HIS pyjama and her panties, she can't help but think about the past, and what just happened. It wasn't supposed to happen.

"Ehy- she doesn't know what she feels for first, if his voice, his kiss on her neck as he joins her, his arms embracing her from the back, his hotness (literally, and not metaphorically) or his short beard on her skin. When the hell did he started to grow that damn beard? – did you find what you were looking for?"

"How I can ménage to find something here, John? There's absolutely nothing if not out-of-date stuff. I swear, I can't understand how you can survive…" she stops herself before to end the sentence. She knows what her subconscious was going to say, she knows too well how she wanted to end the sentence, as he does. Still in his arms, she turns, and sits on the soil, closing with her mind the fridge. She look at him, but she does it without really wanting it. she feels guilty. He feels guilty. They both know it. they both feel it, but neither of them knows that the other one feels guilty as well.

"Sue and Alicia invites me to them to eat almost everyday, and when I dare to say no, they send Ben to… - he leaves her free, and goes to seat near her, and, as he speaks, he massages his short blonde hair - well, you know what Ben does best, don't you? Let's say that they know that you took care of the food department for our entire relationship." He looks worried, and like he got older in just few months; she can't help but feel the desire to skim over that little line that has appeared on his forehead. They are getting old; well, maybe define them as "old" at just 35 is too much, but they are definitely getting older. She can't even believe that it's more than 20 years since the first time she has met him, and 16 years since they started dating… she does the math again: they are both 35 now, meaning that she met him for the first time **_exactly_******20 years before, at 15 (she was already at MIT, but Tony wanted her to see something of "their world" for real); 17 years from their first "date"(the first 3 years spend working for Reed had been Hell between them; every time John was around, he was always making stupid jokes or acting like she was his assistant and not Reed's one; it was only when she was already 18, when Tony died the first time, that he stopped to do it and saw that she wasn't an emotionless bitch with a diamond hearth like he had believed till then), 16 years and half from the first time they've slept together, 14 years from the day they got married, 13 years from the birth of their daughter Adrienne, 1 year from the day they divorced because she was more loyal to Xavier and the dream than to him.

"Who told you that I was in town for that congress?" it's a random question, asked more for curiosity than for any other real reason, but, as she embraces her knees and looks at him, she really doesn't care about it; it's another thing she wants to know about.

"Vic told me.- Vic, being Victor Von Doom, her old mentor. _Figures if Reed's best friend and Valeria's godfather decided to not interfere in what he thinks is my biggest mistake… _Sure, Victor had told him of the congress, but it wasn't Victor the one who accepted to go with John, when he showed at a lecture, to go to launch, and then to go to see a retrospective about Sophia Loren and Vittorio De Sica, neither he accepted dinner at his "new" place at the F4 Plaza (because their old apartment had a way too many memories of a better past, and it made him suffer too much, he told her), neither was Vic the one to accept what he gave her after the delivered dinner… - and Pete told me you stopped by him and MJ to say hello. He said that he is sure he saw you cry, when MJ told you she is pregnant again." Pete and MJ Parker, John's best friends, were having their second child; May, the first born, was now 10. Adrienne was 13, and still an only daughter, and seemed to be doomed to stay that way. Although, Pete and MJ were as old as themselves… 

"Adrienne has her own life, and she is barely 13…- she was almost crying.- Adrienne is one of the most powerful pyre-kinetic of the planet and has her own life with the X-MEN and doesn't care about me…"

"Adrienne is with the X-Men because she had to learn to control her powers, and still wishes to see her parents together again… and you're not getting old. You still have time… - he pauses as he gets closer to her and kisses her on the lips – we have time to have other babies, we're young… besides- he pauses, and grins, as he takes her in his arms, bridal style, coming back to the bedroom – Jen and Matt never registered the divorce, because they thought it was only a moment; so, technically, we're still Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Storm…"

_Callin' all Avengers (or: Iron Man the movie 1,5**)_

When she leaves her room, finally, it's already afternoon, late afternoon, to be more accurate, but Christine Antoinette Stark doesn't care, never did and never will. Not about this, at least. What she is caring about, what's troubling her right now is something different, that has nothing to do with her being late for lunch with her older brother and co-CEO. Fully dressed with shabby jeans, a t-shirt and an open shirt on it, she looks around herself, in search of any sign of life, and, spotting no one around her, sobbing and taking deep breaths, she moves to her final destination, where she knows the person she is looking for will be and surely is, and, in fact, as soon as she enters in the garage, she sees him (them) and gasps in surprise, astonished, wordless.

"Oh. My. God. - She just says as she looks at her brother, piloting a new mark of the already famous Iron Man- that's the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life, and I saw almost everything."

Crossing his arms, Jim laughs under his breath, looking at her and then at his best friend. He knows Tony's little sister, being Tony's friend you can't not know her, since she has always been around them because "her friends were just kids", but he has never saw this aspect. He thought she knew everything – word is she knows everything – but here she is, a 25 years old who still looks like a teen-ager, wordless and astonished, like a child in candyland.

"It's been a while, Dr. Stark" he says, still looking at Tony, underlining the fact that she is a doctor – not a doctor in medicine, sure, but a physicist and an engineer – while Tony isn't. She smiles, pleased by how he has always taken her in consideration; everybody in the world saw her as just Tony Stark's little sister, but Jim was different. He saw Chris, that's all. And she has always enjoyed this, like his company.

"Suuure, it has been, let me check… - Tony says as he regains possession of the soil – 4 hours. Glad to see that you decided to put on some pieces to cover all that skin.- he grins – guess what? She dates a friend of yours, some Hal guy, or something like that…"

"Yeah, heard he is Shield now…"

"Like almost everybody in the world, even you. And Reed Richards. And Hank McCoy, among the others. And me, obviously."

"Ehy, they pay well. And, besides, I'm the super-hero in the family, while you're simply a consultant."

Tony grins, making fun of her, a little revenge for the underlining previously done by Rhodey about her many academic titles.

"Yeah, well, nobody's… - she stops as she feels her cell vibrating, a brand new model of UMTS mobile designed in part by her, that, less than a month after its launch, surpassed even the third generation of the I-Phone, making even the brand new Google Phone old story – sorry people, gotta take it, from my London Assistant. See you later. Ehy, M, what's wrong? I thought I asked to call me only in presence of some near death matter…. Hope it's worth it." She says as she leaves the room, joking and having a sarcastic tone she developed during the years, a sign of intelligence, while going into her room and closing the door, switching on a lamp on her nightstand, without turning on any actual light, while, in the same instant, every electronic component in the mansion it's like trembling

"I secured the line, you can talk." She says as she puts the mobile on a structure similar to an I-pod amplificatory, making appear the holographic image of a Afro-American man with an eye-patch, in his 40s in front of her, like he was on some kind of screen.

_"What the hell do you think you're doing, Stark? I don't pay you because you could go to play the role of the unsure and sweet little girl! I send you there so you could talk your brother into become an Avenger, something he doesn't want to be! "_

"And, how do you think I could convince him? C'mon, _sir, _do you think I can walk in our home saying "guess what, I work as an undercover agent of Shield because I happen to have super powers!" sorry, I have the feel it will not work."

_"We. Need. Him."_

"I need a little bit longer, but I swear, I'll convince him to become an Avenger."

_"well, you're not that wrong… I guess we'll have to let you check on him as a shadow body-guard for a little longer, until the right time will come… but meanwhile…"_

"I know Sir, meanwhile, we need to get his identity secret again. And I think we could arrange something about it. If Tony felt that being an hero would eventually put my life or any other life of people he cares for in jeopardy, I'd quit, or at least, find a way to convince the mass that he isn't really Iron man, and that it was all about advertising. The preliminary probabilistic analysis I'm making suggest that he'll convince Captain Rhodes to put on the Iron Man suite, while being somewhere else as Tony Stark, in at least 5 to 10 different occasions."

_"Are you suggesting me to arrange your ransom at the hands of some of his arch-nemesis?"_

"Or, maybe, a brand new one, sir. – she answers as it could be the most innocent and natural and common thing to do in life – the first time the Black Widow come into America, she worked with a certain Clint Barton, former circus star turned golden archer turned criminal for love. He turned himself in and he is in jail now. According to our profile, he could be a valuable asset. I'm pretty sure he'll be happy to accept to work for you in order to redeem himself. – she pauses, gesticulating, again sarcastic – it's incredible what people does to get in terms with themselves… for what concerns me, I've never had this kind of problem in almost 10 years of work with the intelligence."

_"__That's because you don't have a conscience at all, Sage… By the way, we failed again with your boyfriend. Looks like the energy of that damn ring can't be duplicated, and he is still the only one able to control that power. Looks like he is doomed to stay the only Green Lantern…"_

"I'd prefer emerald warrior, or emerald knight… green lantern is so… kitsch."

_"Said the one who used to call herself Psy-blade…"_

"I've never said I'm perfect, boss, I said that I'm_ almos__t _perfect…or, at least, closer to perfection then my brother."

_"Ok, well, I'll stay in touch, see what we can do about that contingency plan of ours… Nick Fury out"_

"Sage out." She says as she takes in her hands her mobile again, looking outside the window at the sea, worried about what's to come, about a world that's getting every day more dangerous, for normal people and even for the ones like her. 

_I no longer think Justice is better served cold- the Justice Schism (or: New Earth***)_

"Ouch. Did Dinah called you two too?" as Captain Hal "Green Lantern" Jordan enters in the meeting room of the JLA satellite still flying, he can't help but wonder why one of his best friends – Dinah Lance-Queen, alias Black Canary, current chairwoman of said group – called in such an hurry him, and why in the world other two of his best friends are there as well.

"I think we're about to get lectured" Says Oliver "Ollie" Queen, alias Green Arrow, husband to Dinah. Friend to Hal from more than a decade and half, he is resting in one of the chairs, while the other occupant of the room is lying against a wall, near a window, looking at the Space. Of the 3 of them, Christine "Chris" Johnson, better known as the current host of the Phoenix force, is the only one not in costume (because, 1)she never liked them and avoided them as pest, and 2)her identity in the league is well known and she doesn't see any good reason to wear even on the satellite her white and gold costume/uniform and that damn domino mask), and 3)she was caught a bit off-guard while having lunch with Iris, busy arranging the "new" wedding with her again found husband, wearing now sneakers, jeans and that green ¾ sleeves shirt with the Phoenix logo on that Hal always enjoyed so much and found that much attractive.

"I think that everybody here knows why Dinah called, I mean, you seriously thought nobody was going to notice what you were doing, after Hal's declaration of war in front of the whole super-hero community?" she crosses her arms, looking at the ceiling, gesturing a little.

_You're late. Switch your com-links to channel D. enter the slideways._

"Dinah, I'm not sure I like your tone- Hal says as the trio touches their respective com-links, entering in an unknown space – what the hell is that place?"

"One, you definitely don't like my tone. Two, welcome to the lounge, and three, Ollie, dear, may I have a quick word with you?"

"Sure, Honey, what's up?- as he comes closer, she doesn't say a word, but simply hits him as hard as she can with her right fist, leaving him on the soil, his arrows our from the quiver and all over the "room"- I highly doubt it's some kind of kinky sex play, right?"

As he is still on the soil massaging his face, Dinah keeps her eyes closed, her fist fixed at her side, immobile. "Ollie, I'm trying as hard as I can to not hit you again, but you're not exactly helping your cause, here"

"Ok, well, let's not make this an habit, because I'm pretty sure I deserved at least one."

"Don't sell yourself short, Ollie, you deserve to be hit repeatedly, she doesn't know about half the stuff you've done." Hal says smirking, while Chris has taken place at the round table, sitting on it.

"You don't get to joke about this, Hal – Dinah says, just to turn to face her best friend from years, sitting at the opposite side, crossed arms, looking in another direction – you haven't said a single word, Chris. Where your British wit went?"

"I'm not in the mood, besides, I'm sure you'll not like what I'm gonna say"

"Dinah, this is important for me, for us."

"I don't care, Hal, you don't have the authority to form a group, I forbid it."

"where I came from, at one point, there were the federal Avengers from Shield before and Hammer later, the Avengers sans frontier or whatever Pym's team-mates called themselves, the new "new Avengers" of Clint, the Avengers resistance led by Tigra, the young avengers, the 50 state avengers team and… - both Hal and Dinah looks at her mad and furious – ok, sorry, I'll shout up, but I was just trying to prove a point." _beside, you asked me where my wit went, and, well, here it is…_

"you heard what I said, and you, Ollie, it's pathetic, suiting up again to go to play travelling hero with your boyfriend. I'm disappointed, not just because it's a little homophobic, but for what you've done to me… and I can't believe – she says turning again to Chris, who has left her British sarcasm to came back to a more valuable seriousness- that you know what was going on and didn't say a thing! How could you support them, Chris? I though you were better than this! How could you two, my husband and my best friend, do this to me?"

"This isn't about you, Dinah, and I don't support them – Chris says standing, going to face her friend and boss, who smiles relieved – I'm with them all the way"

"Damn, Chris, I knew that Ollie could do this, that he wanted to relive the old days before it was too late, but I can't believe you're doing this to me… when did you start to put _him _–she says as she puts an hand on her forehead, almost shouting out of rage – before _us? _I'm the chairwoman of what's left of the League, and now I'm loosing 3 members because my husband flies off with a splinter group with his best-mate from the glorious days and because you can't get Hal out of your head for good?"

"I can't believe you said that, Dinah! –Chris snapped, the few object in the room starting to fly for her uncontrollable telekinetic powers fuelled by her rage – you seriously think that I'd put Hal before what I believe in? if I'm staying with them, is because I think what they are doing is right!"

[[whispers between Hal and Ollie]]

["She is staying with us now? It means we have out first recruit?"

"Looks like that"]

"You heard me right, Dinah. I think Hal's right, and I'm not saying this because we are together, it's the opposite, to be honest – she says calming down a little, but getting colder and colder – I'm with him because I believe in what he is doing. And I want you to know that, for what concerns me, this is not about you or how you guide the League."

"Sweetie, To be honest…"

"my turn to talk now, Jordan. You'll say what you want when I'll be over. and don't sweetie on me"

[ "I'm starting to understand what you see in her. So, you are with her now? Didn't know that. you shouldn't lie to your best friend, Hal…" He smirks.

"We wanted to see how we could work things out, before, you know…I think she wanted to avoid to make me hate by everybody in case it went bad between us."

"What a nice girl" Ollie sarcastically says

"Eh, and I get to see her in lingerie, without lingerie, and with her old black leather uniform… and don't make me start about when she is in a white coat and get all scientific on me… that is god-like sex."

_Handsome, I'm here, you know…_

"you'll not have sex this night, Jordan"

"I guess that neither will you, my dear former Star City major"]

"It's about me, Dinah. I can't take this any longer. We keep loosing friends… team-mates… and the people we swear to protect. And then? We caught the bad guys, scare them a bit, and after a while they're back. And they hit harder than before. What are we accomplishing? Hell – she pauses – we're ending waiting for them to show up again instead of going in their search…"

"I hope you're not suggesting…"

"I say, they hit us, and we hit back, as hard as they did, that's what I'm saying. They hurt us? We hurt them back, and see if we can teach them some lesson."

"Chris, you're being…"

"I don't care what I'm being. You haven't seen what I've seen, and I prey God you'll not have to. My entire race has been murdered, Dinah, and nobody was there for us, nobody tried to see what happened. Nobody paid for those 16 millions of innocents. Nobody paid for the Grey family, slaughtered by an alien race who was scared of the Phoenix. Nobody paid for my parents' homicide.- she pauses – Hal is the law in this sector, Dinah, and I'm his equivalent on the onmiversal level. You can try as hard as you want, but we have enough of this. You want a league? Fine. But we want something different… we want justice. And you can't forbid us it, because, whatever you like it or not, we're the law." As she says so, her hair starts to go on flames, her entire body soon consumed by the force, becoming the force itself, and disappears, like in a flash of light… no, not of light, a flash of fire.

"I should have used the teleporter - it's been few hours after the discussion with Dinah at the Justice League Headquarter, when Hal comes home in Coast City, surrounded by a green globe, and approaches one of the windows of his apartment, the same window where his girlfriend is looking from, lying against it while busy drinking a cup of hot coffee, dressed with underwear and one of his t-shirts, too big for her but comfortable enough to make her feel safe and cared for. – Birdie, honestly, you want to go back? If you want I'll understand, I mean…" he asks, as he enters, and comes back to being "plain" Hal, taking her in his arms, and giving the woman a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Harold Jordan, I can't believe you're asking me this….- she pauses, kissing him on the lips – you were there for me, every time I needed you. you never second guessed me. this is the same now, I'm here for you, all the way. I trust you, Hal… I trust you'll always do what's right."

"You're too good for me, sweetheart."

"I know.- she smirks, skimming with her index over a point where, just months before, Black Hand had hit him quite hard – it remained a scar" she says as he takes her palm and kisses it.

"you were amazing with that green t-shirt. It's my favourite, I find it quite… exciting."

"I know"

"this is my favourite shirt, among my ones you know. Sometimes, I could want it back"…

"we can work on this, I'm still a businesswoman, after all."

"Dinah will definitely kill us…."

_Friend or enemy?(or the Ultimate Universe)****_

"Kirsten Johnson?" high school student Kirsten Johnson was having a day like any other, until, while walking to school, a middle age man stopped her. It wasn't that she was the kind of person who talks to strangers – her mother taught her it when she was just a baby girl – but he looked like an old man, in need of help. And, frankly, hearing someone calling her by name took her quite by surprise, and, before her brain could process it, someone at her shoulders put a hood on her head, covering her face, and felt a sudden pain in her back, like needles, and, then, the world went black for her.

When she comes back, she doesn't have a minima idea about where she is, how she come there, how long it had been or why is there. She just knows that, now that the hood in no more, the room is dark, with just a light pointed at her, and someone is in the room with her, someone she can't see. She feels like they are questioning her. She feels they are questioning her. And she is scared about it, because, although she doesn't know who they are, she now has a certain idea about the reason behind their behaviour and her presence there.

"Show us" she hears a man's voice saying. She can't see who's speaking, can't get a look at him, at how he looks like, she just can say that's a man and that he sounds like a young one. not that she cares too much, now that he has said it, she knows that what she thought was right. They re after her because of her abilities. Because of what she is. Because she is a mutant. But she is strong. She has learned to be strong, and she isn't going to give them that satisfaction. She'll show them nothing. And, so, one of the men hit her, and, right on the face, closed fist, and, while he is going to do it again and again, she sees that the one who spoke takes the hand of the "attacker", stopping him, avoiding to do her other damages.

"Do you know what you are?" yes, she knows. She knows she is a mutant. And she knew they were after her for this reason and this reason only. And she can't help but think that, if her mother wasn't like her, she could easily hate mutants for what are causing her.

"do you know who your father is?" what kind of question… something she can't lie about. She can't lie, while in silence, because she doesn't know who her father is. She knows her mother, who taught her, and is still teaching her, everything. She doesn't have a proper father, just a mother doing both the jobs.

"The aliens are after our world. The Kitauri, have you ever heard about them? They're shape-shifters. – a new male voice says entering in the room, going in front of her just to then turn and give her his back – they tried to conquer us, they did from centuries, and have always filed. This time, the Ultimates did some pretty good damages, but, who knows, maybe they could come back. Maybe someone else could come here to invade us… - he faces her, eyes in her eyes – tell me what you know about the Havanian Race."

She can sees him. A black man, who's scaring her. And she is never scared. "I don't know what you are talking about, I swear!"

"Tell me about your mother"

"she is a secretary, she works for the Major's office! That's all!"

"Tell me about your father"

"I don't know. My mother never talks about him. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of unknown sperm donator from who knows what clinic…" she is almost panicking, in tears. And she is starting to feel it. It's boiling. Into her veins. Her blood is fighting her. Her instincts are fighting her. She is loosing the battle. And soon they'll have what they want, their victory.

"You're not human- he says as he kneels in front of her, whispering into her ears – if you'll help us, we'll not hurt you, I promise. You're just a child without any fault, but we need to understand you and your people."

"We're human just like you.." she exclaims between tears, shouting. This is no longer her battle, but the battle of her race. The mutant race.

"No, you're not – he is so calm, she can't stand it – or, at least, not totally. You're just human for half. Your other half is Havanian."

"I don't know what a damn Havanian is!"

"do they still teach biology at school? - he asks, as at the other side of the room, on the wall, few images, pictures, start to appear, projected like from nowhere. – you're seeing, in order, a human DNA, a mutant DNA, a Havanian DNA and, finally, your own. Do you still think you're human?" he grins, enjoying it. And now, she has enough, she can no longer stand it. Her eyes shine, her back hurts and bleeds, like cut from nowhere and no one, wounds appeared from the air. What was keeping her hostage is no more, and, screaming, she collapses into foetal position, on the soils, just to stand, unsure, minutes later, as the man continues to grin; he has what he wanted: a tall creature, humanoid, feminine, extremely short black fur all over her body – so short that it looks like a skin – pointed ears, demonic blooded wings, long and wild white hair, paws and claws, a tail. She looks like a humanoid dragon, a gargoyle, even.

"well, well, well… look at what we have here. You, my sweet girl, wanted to know what an Havanian is? Well, you are an half-blood Havanian. And your mother, a secretary? Sorry to disappoint you, but she was a scout. An alien scout, I mean … A full blood Havanian, if you want to put it in that way an habitant of the planet Havania. And now… now we need to study you. We'll not hurt you, you're too precious for us. But you'll have to cooperate. And, maybe, one day, I'll tell you something more about your dear daddy…"

_Mummy and daddy are not that much disappointed…(or: The next generation of X-Men after the end…)_

Once upon a time, the city of Hammer bay was the capital of Genosha, one of the richest and most advanced countries of the world…a country based on slavery of mutants, that ended, like all the nations grounded on such a cruelty, badly. At the time that magneto has gained the mantle of Lord of the Nation – a king in all the senses – it was laid waste, almost her entire population was slaughtered, of more than 16.000.000, just a brunch of them survived, less than 100, and, now, it houses just ghosts, in the more literal sense, thanks to the mutant-paranormal powers of Morgan "Wicked", a woman who possess the power to call, control and talk to the spirits. To bring the last generation of mutants –Oliver Raven (Son of Rogue and Gambit), Rico (grandchild of Reed Richards, son of Franklin Richards and Rachel Grey), No-Name (somehow connected to the Neos?), Pavel Raputin (grandchild of the first Colossus), Becka Munroe (daughter of Storm)and the telepath "marvel twins", the black haired and blue eyed Liz and Howie Stark-Wisdom - who proclaimed themselves X-MEN against the will of their teachers and families, it was fate, in the guise of a group of villain Shadow X, known very well in particular by the twins, whom parents fought them back in the days.

"well, I confess, we did underestimate the lot of you…- Hank McCoy says, as he approaches the teen-agers, while Shadow X is in chains on the soil, passed out.- but don't expect the bill to be cheap…"

"They're children, Henry. In particular, _**my children!** _Aren't you supposed to be nice?" As Val cooper, Liaison of the School with the government, approaches them, she is anticipated by an holographic image, the image of the man who's at head of the British Intelligence.

_"Dad seems mad…"_Howie says to his sister through his mind, seeing his father in front of them. They know how their dad get when he is mad, and this is one of those times that almost 50 years old Pete Wisdom, black hair turned into salt and pepper one, left the cigarettes for the cigars to emulate his idol Fury, is mad.

_"__And I don't think we even have to start with your mother..__" _a grinning psy-image from the astral plane appears at their backs, grinning while the two teens are terrorized; as they feel her presence, they turn, and see their mother, Christine Stark-Wisdom, looking at crossed arms at the whole team, at her former team-mate McCoy in particular. More than 40s, Chris has given up costumes and uniforms a long time ago, preferring her usual business suites to do her work of liaison of X- CORP Europe with the Britain Government, something she and her husband get along with very well.

_"__You weren't the only one to underestimate them. I think that Shadow X did the same mistake…"_

"Speaking of which… considering that Genosha belongs to no country, and that last time my unit was the one to have them in custody, I'd like to take them back to see what they did in the last 20 years, after Albion apparently killed them…"

"well, Wisdom, Surprise, Surprise… they are alive and well."

"yeah, well, McCoy, I'm a man who's not so easy to surprise, so… by the way, one of our transports is en route, so, don't worry, Val, we'll take good care of them." He say, grinning evilly with satisfaction.

"jerk"

"you're just jealous. By the way, in you, I'd be nice with the kids, McCoy."

_"what your dad is trying to say in his very own way, it's that we've battled this mutants before, and, considering their potential and their abilities, and it took us a way longer to win over…"_

"you all did a bloody hell of a work, that what daddy is trying to say, meaning that I… - he pauses , to correct himself and add something- that your mummy and I trained you well. Guess that the trick of the psy-claws turned useful, at the end. …about time someone decided to make the difference again." He says, smirking, as proud as never before, just like his wife.

You'll always be daddy's little girl- no, wait, your brother's little girl (or the MC2 Universe)…

A new generation of heroes. Chris can't help but think about it. Of her generation, almost everyone retired, and now, it's up to their children, their daughters and sons, to carry on their legacies. Some of the people of her time has died, true, and sometimes the one that took on the mantle weren't genetically related to their predecessors, but, does it really care? No, it doesn't, because she knows that it's not with simple blood that their "names" will go on. The names they choose will always continue, they'll always find someone with the strength, the courage, the bravado to be the new one. She knows it's a way to be honoured, to be remembered. And she can't help but smile as, while sitting in her kitchen drinking some decaffeinated "thing", she looks at screen. The new generation of heroes, or, as someone called them, the "heroes for tomorrow, today". One of them is Kate Bishop, the girl who took the mantle of Clint, calling herself Hawkeye. She still remembered it, it was after he… after he got ill. It seemed yesterday. It was what, 5, 6 years before? She never asked. It wasn't up to her, because she knows. She remembers everything about Clint. 5 years, 45 weeks. She doesn't tell him, though. Clint doesn't want to feel that someone, that her, is feeling pity for what happened to him. He can be blind, but he sees with every other sense. Maybe he isn't like Matt, but he has learned all his tricks. Ha can be blind, but he sees everything. And he sees everyone. He sees…

"Ehy! – she jumps as she finally feels two presences at her back, avoid the liquid to reach the soil just because of her telekinetic powers – you scared me, you two!" she is going to leave her seat, put Clint puts an hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stay where she is. Lowering, he gives her a kiss on her hair, the same hair that Tony soon uncombs, messing with them like when she was a child or a teen-ager, just before the duo joins her at the table.

"She is not a kid anymore, Tony…" Clint sweetly tells him, in his direction, like he could actually saw him, but just for a second. He gazes again at her, taking her hand in his one and playing with her fingers.

"It doesn't care her current state, Clint. She is my sister. She'll always be a kid to me – he turns to look at the screen, at the Avengers. Among them two youngsters, blonde hair, brown eyes, a girl with Chris' old costume, one with one of Swordmaster's ones. – looks like the twins are making themselves useful, after all…"

As a single, silent tear escape from Clint's eyes, Chris skims with her right over his forehead, at closed eyes, and makes contact. His eyes are blinded, but not his soul, not his mind, and, through her eyes, through her mind, he sees it, he sees them, again. He still remembered when he met them, Chris' children, heirs to the former Blackdragon and to an unknown man, but the truth he has always knew was that he knew that they were supposed to be his children. After their comeback from the alternate Earth created by Franklin and the Morgana accident, they talked, for, maybe, the first time, because she told him everything. She told him the truth. And he was scared of it. He was scared of her being that much in love with him, needing him that much, but, mostly, he was scared of him being in love with her, and needing her. That, and her issues with Tony, resulted in her leave, a leave that lasted years, and, once she come back, she had these 2 wonderful kids with her, 2 little mutants and fighters that he helped to train, two children that maybe didn't have his surname, but were his children, 2 children he had never seen if not thanks to her mind.

"what?" he asks, as he loses contact with her, realising she jumped and feeling her smiling. Without replying, she takes his hand and put her in her belly, her growing and very pregnant belly, where her soon third born to be is kicking.

"looks like there's a real Barton over there, already a fighter, our kid…" he says as he kisses her, a kiss she replies to very happy and satisfied.

"Jeez… could at least you two get a room? I'm trying to give a look at the news here!"

As the shadows looks at the girl again, she kneels at her side, and, as she gives her a quick kiss, like a mother would, Christine Antoinette Johnson feels like a cold breeze through her spine, and wakes up. She looks at the room, like to try to spot something she thinks she is feeling right now, but she knows, obviously, that she's wrong. There's no one there, no one but her, she is alone, in what used to be her real parents' mansion, and, unsure, she comes back to sleep.

"Sleep well my child, be strong. Soon you'll have to face your enemies… you'll have to be strong and brave, like all that versions of you I've seen. They'll help you, their powers, one day, will converge in you, giving you strength. because, although I'm dead, I can't stand the thought of losing another one of my daughters… and I prey God one day you'll be able to find our Marion, wherever she is now…"

* * *

*Obioviously, you can't know this one, but this is the Dimension the "original" Blackdragon cames from, as seen in my very first fan-fiction, Avengers: Alternative worlds,never before seen in Englisg but well known by the Italian fan-fiction fan-dom...

**deleted scene from "Tony Stark's five rules of engagement", in the riron man the movie section.

***Inspirated by Justice League #32, If i'm not that wrong, and Justice League: a cry for Justice. for a quick prequel of this paragraph, see, in the dc supreheroes section, Rise of the Phoenix.

****the Havana Palnet is a paradise-like planet, similar to the land of the 1000 and one nights, not present in the Marvel universe, but I've seen it in an issue of Green lantern - I'm quite a fan, as you probably imagine. Tecnically, i wanted to go with the race of Lockheed, but it has never been said the name of said "people", and I arranged with the closest thing I found...

* * *

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: the war with Dracula continues!


	27. MI:13 Vampire Nation part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with their whole cast belong to Marvel Comics,

* * *

26. VAMPIRE STATE – PART TWO

_**4AM, MI13 conference room, Portwell House, Whitehall.**_

"I swear, Wisdom, I don't know why you brought us all here at 4 am… couldn't the JIC…" Sir Clive Reston leads MI6. it's, practically, MI6 version of Wisdom, and, describe him as annoyed and mad for what he is going through, doesn't describe the half of it.

"Practicalities, Sir Clive – Pete enters in the conference room with him, freshly changed and shaved – besides, it's always a pleasure to play host with our friends from five and six…" he pauses a little, a small smirk on his face, without even remotely try or thinking about removing the dark sunglasses. Standing on the other side of the room, is whole team is already there, all dressed for the occasion in shirt and tie; standing near a window at crossed arms, Chris has choose one of her old Armani suit from her old billionaire days (a white, blue stripped shirt, unbuttoned for the first 3 buttons, a pair of beige pants, a waistcoat in the same colour and high heeled beige sandals, a chignon, soft make-up and single pearls both at her ears and at the black silk necklace).

"You… Wisdom! Where the hell is Jacqueline Falsworth? – Joe Chapman, the masked hero known as Union Jack, stands fiercely in front of him, finger at Pete's face, eyes leaving his orbs - you've got every damn hero in Britain and you tell me you can't find her?"

"Chapman, enough, stand down now!" a woman in her late 40s, elegant and mature, but still full of charm, doomed by destiny on a wheelchair like once was Xavier, orders him with a soft but strong tone; crossing his arms, he obeys, but without leaving his eyes off from Wisdom, still mad (but mad is merely an euphemism for how he feels).

"I assure you, Joe, finding her is priority one… we are as concerned as you are. We're performing a full-scale search as we speak, using everything we have, powers, magic… take place, please – he pauses, going in front of a blackboard, as everyone goes to seat, a virtual touch-screen gift of Chris' old "Startech" in front of everybody- Mr. Brooks will brief us on the nature of the threat…Eric, please…"

"Yes… - the "vampire" says, as he leaves his spot to join Pete in front of the screen, turning on what it looks like a power point presentation, under the very angry eyes of Chapman, who never leave his face – ok… in the last couple of years, worldwide vampire activity has been at an all-time low… which is kind of strange, especially during an invasion or a war, something they usually could take advantage of… and it's not just that. The demons released from Avalon, in many cases, have failed to manifest, and this night's events show us that Dracula has a spell-caster among his forces, meaning that he may have decided to recruit there also. Something unusual for his modus operandi, since vampires tend to avoid everything that's magic… - he pauses, as he shows them the next image, a portrait – as you could imagine, there are no imagines of Vlad Tepes, son of the Dragon, just artists' impressions, like this one. He likes to think of himself of something like a man on honour, hence the declaration of war, the attacks on all of us except me, so that I could find it in my mirror…"

"but with the declaration of war… - the MI6 boss says – he is just making things easier for us. All the protocols take effect, and the gloves are off. We have just to make the announcement and then…"

"No – Pete interrupts him, still standing, now at Chapman's back – it'd meant play by his rules, and it'd give a political advantage. Accept the war, would imply recognition of the "vampire nation"… that's what the message was for. We're talking about the leading strategist of our time, trained by birth with centuries of experience… we are in a game of chess against him. Even the fact that he didn't attack Mr. Brooks wasn't random, he left him alone to sow dissident in our ranks, since…"

"Jac can choose who she goes out with once we get her back" Chapman cuts him off, without middle words.

"And because he thinks everyone's as much of a racist as he is."Erik continues, stopped again by Wisdom, who's now close to the Black Knight and Faiza.

"We also have to consider the fact that he planted a fake ebony blade, month ago… presumably to take the knight out of the game, and maybe a few of us too. he had time to plan this… and he is playing from months, which brings me to the real reason for this meeting. Dr. Johnson will brief you on same aspects of the mission regarding the use of her powers…"

"According to Mr. Brooks' files and the previous encounters of groups as the X-men with vampires, we know that vampires can't be easily controlled by mental powers – she says, reaching her spot near Blade, standing at crossed arms – a vampire can control a vampire, a vampire can easily control a human, but a human, even a super-powered one, has almost no chance to control a vampire, since the connection can be easily reverted and used against the human subject, who, in many cases, can be freed just by the controller's death. And, cherry on the top, their minds can't be red or even felt."

"Are you saying that mental powers are useless?" the same man that Pete previously stopped says, still mad for it.

"Not exactly – she says as she looks at him, gesturing a little with her hands – there's something telepaths can do against vampires… you see, their minds can't be red because they look like empty, they are like a void. Telepathy works basically on the so-called process of "telepathic osmosis", that's like a background noise, that can be used like the bats' radar…"

"Meaning?" the same man says again, still at crossed arms.

"Meaning that if there's an empty spot, good chances are that there's a vampire – Pete says, answering in her place – is it confirmed?"

"Yes" she answers him, looking resolute a bit cold, turning her eyes in direction of a window.

"Good. Mr. Mayhew, right? – Pete says as he goes close to a young man, just around 25 – you're a junior officer of MI5, responsible for the WH desk…"

"Yes… yes sir.. – he says, showing clearly how uncomfortable he is and how worried he is, sweating heavily - is there any problem?"

"Oh, no, there's no problem at all, just a question – he continues, as telekinetic energy throws him from his spot to the wall, his back hitting it hard enough to make the noise resonating in the room, under the very surprised eyes of the presents – how are you enjoying the ultraviolet lights?"

"I..no..no, please, I…I'm just.. I'm not important, please!" the young mans keeps screaming, asking for mercy, for pardon, as soon as Chris' telekinetic shield is joined by the hands of both Brooks and Chapman.

"how many more?" the woman, MI5 director from a couple of days, asks them, looking at the young man in disbelief.

"We are all clear" Chris answers, turning to look at her and Wisdom, while she starts to mentally apply pressure on his throat.

"Good. I want our CSU at his place, in the meanwhile, Wisdom - the woman continues, as she is going to leave – it's all yours. Hurt him… and hurt him badly."

"Where's Jac? Were the attacks just distractions? Is something else going on? maybe tonight? Something we aren't aware of? Answer!" Pete shouts at him, while his 3 agents still keep him captive.

"I swear, I don't know, I just know about the head – he says as starts to sweat again, more and more, blood leaving his skin, all the veins of his body well visible – it's just the head of… of.. of…" ha can't end the sentence. He blows up. And, as fire and flames are all around them, they even can't tell for sure if he did it by himself or it was something remotely activated.

"MI 13 is under lock down by now. I'll not infirm you any longer, not until I'll be sure you're not employing vampires. – Pete says turning to look to the directors – this is our game. This is a game we will win. And now… -he pauses, as he is at the door, ready to leave, followed by his whole team- for you, the meeting is adjourned."

**_4.30 AM, MI13 conference room, Portwell House, Whitehall._**

"So… we were employing 4 vampires just in MI13, and we killed 5 of them in total; at least one had a capsule of holy water remotely controlled, and another one was wearing a puncture vest. They are prepared, and, until the secret services are purged, we remain in lockdown. But we're still on the back foot… - Pete says as he stays, while everyone is sitting around the same table they were before, still formally dressed – we know they are after a head, that's all the turncoat said… the head of who, or what, and what are we being distracted from tonight? Any idea? Alistaire, you're our expert in mysticism…"

"There are few mystical creatures or supposed gods that…"

"Wait a minute… I think I know what the guy was talking about… and it could be about the head of a friend of mine… Quincy Harker. He died when he brought up Dracula's castle, and he left a will with specific instructions regarding his head…. – he says as he takes few extremely old sheets from his jackets, putting them on the table – and, according to it, this night, something will go on around the Oxfordshire Village of Totterdon, and it will concern his head…"

_**Totterdon, half an hour before dawn…**_

"How many of you take sugar?- an old lady, long white hair, dressed with a violet and gold, something close to a new-age looking dressing gown, opens them the door before they could even reach the door, as Brian has still his fist on the wood, ready to knock; she smiles at them, and guides the group towards her living room(something that remembers Chris of Dr. Strange' s sancta sanctorum), where, on a round table, are waiting for them cups of hot tea and biscuits – I'm honoured to meet Merlin's new champion…. – she says as she offers Brian a couple of tea, smiling, happy, like sunshine – and you'd be Peter Wisdom? I know of some young witches who'd dearly love to know where you've been…" As she turns to look at the secret agent, her look changes in a blink of an eye, and, her eyes as well her voice, are cold and distant. Maybe she isn't feeling any hate towards him right now, but it's for sure something close to it… as she gives him his cup, she is like ice, like a diamond queen; and she changes again as she offers one to Chris, without adding any sugar, just a tear of milk; again she smiles, and, as the young mutant look around her, fascinated by the place but uneasy at the same time, divided between fascination and her scientific mind that keeps telling her that magic isn't more powerful than science, well, as she keep doing it, the old woman looks to her like a mother does to a daughter, like she already knows her… "no wonder you are all here… even Tanya saw this coming, years and years ago…"

"I'm sorry, what?" she asks, as coming from nowhere, as she just woke up from the semi-dream state she was in. did she really just say "Tanya"? how the hell did she know about her… and why? Or was it just a mere coincidence?

"Did you do what I asked?" Pete breaks the moment, giving her no time to answer his girlfriend's question, going again in boss-mode, full focused again on the mission. And not wanting to see her bringing in again the "witches and faeries" topic….

"Here it is the artefact…- She smiles at them almost close eyes, as she takes a box from the table an opens it, in front of them, revelling its inside: a human skull, without few teeth, with magical symbols from all over the world painted on(Celtic, Greek, voodoo…)- poor old Quincy…we met on several occasions… we had quite a close… acquaintance… I still remember that he used to smell of honey, and that he had the most enormous… I think – she says smirking - library"

"He thought – Blade interrupts the woman, who's still dream-looking at the skull – about an alteration of an ancient boundary condition, extremely inconvenient for vampires. Unfortunately, it was going to work for just one country, and he choose the one he'd come to love, and he saw as the head of the anti-vampiric ideology…."

"Quincy gave his soul, literally, to power the spell, and it had contained in his skull. – she says as she takes the skull in her hands – I found it, and I ended the ceremony."

"until the skull is in the country, each vampire has to be invited to be able to have access to Britain… each one, individually. Like when they ask to come into a residence…"

"So, let me get it straight… that skull – Chris says as she points at the skull, in Pete's hands – is some sort of anti-invasion weapon? That, with same sort of ceremony, Vlad can no longer have access to Britain?"

"Nice work, our Quincy.. – Pete smirks at the object – if they were planning on going for this tonight, our arrival…"

"a blank spot!? – Chris interrupts him, jumping from her chair, looking around herself- they…" as she is going to end the sentence, she feels, as everyone else, the walls falling, debris on their heads, concrete and dust in their lungs. And fire, and magic, the, oh so familiar feel of magic around them! Vampires… vampires attacking them, destroying the old woman's house.

"how long until dawn?" As he hits a vampire with his hot knives, Pete isn't asking someone in particular, it's more like desperation, and fear.

"Twenty seven minutes, 43' and 17''…" Chris' shield is still on, again on, against an enemy she wants to fight and win over, but knows she can't with her mere forces, not alone…

"How do you…"

"I'm in sync with the National Physical Laboratory's atomic clock" she'd like to smirk, to use a sarcastic tone, but she can't, she can just be serious now.

"No such luck… - Blade interrupts them as he fights the vampires back – they have serious protections… first sunlight isn't going to bother them, and you can be sure they have…." As he says so, a light blinds them, coming from the outside.

"let me guess… magical backup? - Brian says, as he covers his eyes to shield them from a light that seems to arrive from nowhere, like generated by the pavement itself, a light that, soon, forces him to the ground, like pressed against it by gravity itself – whoever is doing this…knows how Merlin made… me…" it's even getting harder for him to speak, let alone try to leave his spot, or even moving… meanwhile, at his side, who hasn't been hit by the "spell" makes group, close to the other ones, together, like forming a barrier between Dracula's force and the skull… a barrier in which the first line is formed by the swords, the two ebony blades, with the real one held by the Black Knight, but, mostly, by Faiza, the young woman in front of the vampires feel fear for, maybe, the first time in their lives; the mere sight of Excalibur, King Arthur's mighty former weapon, tasted by many enemies of the liberty, seems to keep them at hold, not distant, maybe, but, at least, not that close; even the young Muslim woman, who has always second guessed herself from the start of this new adventure as a member of the super-heroic world, seems to understand it…to understand the power she has on them, what she can be capable of. "Excalibur is… I think I'm holding them…" she almost whisper, still unsure of herself, of her abilities, of her powers… something that, maybe, is right, considering what she feels when she sees the apparition in front of them, the figure standing in the doorway, with a cruel and mean smile printed on the face, sure of himself, looking like a general sure of his imminent victory… even dressed like a general, or any other possible high military figure, though.

"A display of faith from the Muslim, in England's green and pleasant land… we'll have none of that, shortly – he grins, as the skull leaves the hands were he previously was, Pete's hands, like encircled by a bubble of energy – of faith, I mean." He adds, as the precious artefact gets closer and closer to him, and there's nothing they can do to prevent it, their powers like frozen, like they've never been in them.

"Is that… - Chris asks, to no one in particular, more a rhetoric question, just whispered at low voice, a mix of fear and interest towards the "man", as she keeps standing at Pete's side, an hand on his arm, like to not loose him, to make sure they are still there and still alive – I imagined him somehow different…."

"So, you are Wisdom… what an ironic coincidence… what a joke for you… because you, this war in which you thought you were engaged? – he says as he takes the skull between his hands – it's a game, and I won!" As he says these words, he starts to laugh, of that kind of laugh you hear in horror movies, thinking they are just a joke and they don't exist; but they are different form the majority of the human race; the other keep saying tot their children that the monster doesn't exist, that they aren't real, but they know it better, and now they even know that those kinds of monster, those kinds of laughs you hear in horror movies (bad horror movies, truth to be said) are real, and, if they'll survive the experience, they already know that he'll haunt them in their dream for the rest of their lives, because fighting Kang or Magneto or Shadow X is one thing, but face the primeval evil, someone not as old as the word but close, is entirely another story… but maybe, they'll not be that luck, since their only chance of survival is in hid hands, or, at least, was on his hands, because, as he keeps laughing at them, he claps his hands, and, in a sec, the skull is gone… like himself and his troops.

"at the end, although we were here… - Chris says looking at what's left of the house, now almost destroyed, hands on her hips, a tone of loose and surrender in her voice – he got what he came here for. His spell destroyed the skull."

"How the bloody hell did they get in here? I thought that vampires had to be invited in a private property!" Pete has the same look, but is mad, if not with them, with the entire rest of the world.

"It's my fault, I had to understand that something was going on, that something was going on, but… - Chris has again that sounds in her voice, the sound of defeat, that look in her eyes, as she knees on the soil and takes a fragment of the artefact in her hands – I'm sorry" she can't, she is unable to tell them that it's her fault, that she got distracted by what the old lady told them, by the mere pronounce of a name that belonged to her mother, too.

"No, it's not your fault. I think they were already outside, when you arrived, and when I invited you in, they listened to my invitation, and took advantage of the situation – the woman paused, as she takes one of her cats in her arms and looks at she skull, sad – they are clever. Now that it's gone, our only hope is that you are a match for him…"

_**MI-13 Headquarter; briefing room.**_

"Come on, people, come on! What else is there? – Pete shouts at the screen of his computer, hitting with his right fist the glass surface of the desk, generating cracks all over it, under the "sorry" eyes of his entire team in uniform, and of all the other present members of 5 and 6 – what have we got? We must have something, the skull couldn't be…"

"We've got nothing – a voice says, as Joe enters, red eyes, eyes full of rage and hate, disgust in his voice, dressed with his Union Jack uniform, something Chris has never seen him with, at least not in person (also because it's just the second time she meets him) – I saw it… so, now Dracula can just walk into Britain?"

"We've got every magical and technologic sensor targeted on him, at his first sight we'll…" Alistaire, again with a new appearance, tries to calm the man down, resolving anything; as he bubbles to end his sentence, Blade puts an hand on his shoulder, forcing him to not leave his seat, and goes to face the other British man.

"Joe, believe me, I know too well how you're feeling right now, but…" he says calmly.

"You what? – the other shouts at him, moving as he wishes to hit him with his fist – please, you haven't even raised a sweat! And you know why? Because it's your fault! It's your fault the vampires are back! It's your fault Faiza's dad copped it! It's your fault Jac got taken! I told her it was a mistake to join you, and I'm thanking God that I didn't do as she asked me… at least we don't employ foreign amateur at MI-5 to…"

As he says so, Blade becomes like an animal – both physically, but mentally, too- and, like a rabid creature, starts to hit the man, sending him against the wall, starting to hit him harder and harder, as the human defends himself and tries his best to hurt his opponent, while Pete can't do anything but shouts at them ordering them to stay still, to stop, order that they, obviously, decide to not follow "You two, enough of this! Stand down! – he even tries to get in the middle, risking just to be hit by them – let's divide them at the old manner!"

"Got it, boss as he says so, Chris walks in the middle of the fight, a purple aura around her, her eyes shining like gold, no pupil visible, and, similarly to what she did when they fought Plokta, she uses her telekinetic abilities not to make them collide, like she did that time, but to divide them, generating a micro force-field, subtle as skin, like an aura, around their bodies, so they could not attack anymore.- please, gentleman, there's no need to play as our enemy wishes. Right now Dracula is our…"

"Priority alarm!" Alistaire shouts as his watch starts to emit a intermitting light.

"I was going to say just priority, but, well, I think that…"

"No, it's the priority alarm….. it's the near-space detector system….I think it's them!"

"Already? Damn…. – Pete says as he looks at screen at his back – we still have 2 days, and almost no cooperation from the outside. Are the other countries seriously leaving us alone in this?"

"Translunar space is legal minefield – the woman in wheelchair they met that morning says – the Chinese are going to block any security council attempts to wage war there. It looks like Dracula has assets in the people's republic, since there's no faith there. We've got officers who're already exposing and killing, but it's a close-run thing, still."

"Brown will tell the public today, everybody is onside, even the opposition… only good thing. We want to turn the panic into a mobs with stakes – Clive says – but we still believe that the losses will be enormous."

"Message incoming. It's the Stark Towers secure line, and it's encrypted with the US Government protocols…- Chris says as a technician at their backs sees exactly what she is talking about, projecting on a virtual screen at the centre of the room the video/message , making them see Chris' world most hated man – I told you it was the Tower's protocols…"

Let me talk with who's in charge he says like he was the owner of the world-something that's not so distant from the truth.

"That'd be me, Mr. Osborn. I'm Peter Wisdom, head of MI 13, and I wanted to ask you…" but even before he could ends the sentence, Pete is silenced by his "opponent", who, through the screens and cams, looks at the whole room, with a grin that's a mixture of pure evil and disgust, with a note of satisfaction, that kind of satisfaction you get when you see your enemy, or someone you see as such, being in danger, or in difficulty, and Norman Osborn is seeing it right now, under the form of the woman he tried to kidnap – even kill – in order to get to Tony Stark and the SHRA Database, the one he would still try to kidnap and maybe even kill, if she wasn't an agent of a foreign secret agency. I recognize a fellow player, _sir – _he underlines with the same disgust, knowing too well it was Wisdom the one who let the woman escape that time, in New York – but… my hands are tied. International agreements, hope you'll understand – he says grinning evilly, with satisfaction, as he was the winner – Osborn out

"how nice from him to tell us in person he didn't want to help us to stop an invasion… - Chris says, with a hint of sarcasm, looking where, until few seconds before, there was Osborn, crossed arms – hope that, once he'll be done with us, the monster will go for his gut. Greatest thing that could happen…" she almost smile at the thought, but it's, seriously, brief.

"Brilliant, nothing, just a bloody nothing! – Pete starts to message his forehead, almost screaming in anger, without to stop to look at the now empty video – except for the fact that the damn bastard of the Green Goblin thinks that we are the same!" He'd like to have something in his hands, something extremely fragile, just so that he could be able to throw it against a wall sending it in millions of pieces. He knows that it'd be useless, of course he does, he's not that stupid to think that a thing like that could effectively solve a problem, but he is mad, if not for the non-help he got, for the fact that a man like that, a murderer like Osborn, thinks that they are the same. Oh, sure, he had killed in his life. He is a spy, always been, that's not such a big secret, everybody know it and, notwithstanding it, even the women of his life continue to… love him. But Osborn? Osborn was a psycho. He murdered just to make others suffer, not to defend his Country. He murdered and did all the worst sort of evil actions because of his own need of prevarication. He did it for himself, not for saving lives. He doesn't live with the regret, the sufferance he carries for those deaths. He is a "free spirit", in a certain way.

_Pete? I'm sorry. I feel like it's my fault. Osborn is still mad because he lost the opportunity to use me, and I feel like he is using my presence in the team to avoid to intervene. _As he feels a presence at his back, Pete feels the need to turn in order to look at her, at her sad eyes, her painful expression. He heard her "tone", her psychic voice. He knows how she is feeling, what she thinks of herself, like he knows that she wasn't at his back, but what a mere representation of what she truly is made on the astral plane, where time has no meaning, where millions of years could pass in just seconds, where she can be how she truly is, on the inside, the brilliant and shining and amazing woman he met when she was still a little girl, when he world was still in motion, easier and perfect, without any troubles… or, at least, it's what he ahs always thought of her life before they actually become something close to "friends": during their common years in Excalibur, neither of them was exactly nice to the other one, or even "close"; at the time, he had Kitty, and she had her husband, and, while nobody of them had it, she still had a life outside the group – a normal, plain life made of common problems of common people, something he, today, envy her a little, and that he thinks she regrets – regrets its loss; he knows her quite well to say that everything she could wish for in life is normality, everything she always whished for. Maybe this was the reason she married a "plain mortal", and tried her best to escape from this life, something she has always failed, drove by regrets and sense of guilt – a trait they've in common.

_don't you even dare to say this, love. If there's someone who has to feel guilty for this is Osborn and Osborn alone. You have nothing to do with him, he is simply a sick bastard who cares just for…_

As his speech before, Pete is again stopped, this time in his thoughts, and this time by Brian. Well, by Brian and his girlfriend, at least.

"I'm getting something..a sort of… message, I think." Brian focuses his thoughts, concentrating, trying to get rid of the odd feeling he is having right now. He is receiving the message, true, but it's like he can't read it, like it was in another language, or wrote in Binary code…

"It's like an electromagnetic disturbance… it's kind of… malevolent, for me. it's giving problems to my powers… I can't sense who's sending the signal…"

"Wait a sec… - Brian says as the whole team look at him, and at the red fog that's taking human form in front of them – I didn't know I could do this."

"I'm quite sure it wasn't you, Brian- Chris says, now stone cold, a look of hate in her eyes, that just turned shining yellow like a blazing star for the amount of psych energy she is filling her entire being with, as she sees who's in front of them, who the body formed by the fog belongs to, someone she knows of, someone she hates, someone she knows now as an enemy, someone she knows is a murderer and a crazy and sick person, someone who did bad to her own family and friends- didn't see that coming" she almost whisper the last part. What do they know of her? Of what she did? Of what she is?

you cannot – she says with a voice that seems to come from the land of the dead, the voice of magic and illusions, a voice similar to the one Chris heard used more than once by Strange – I'm the Scarlet Witch. I bring a message from the Avengers…

Chris freezes, and for many reasons: one, for the fact that this is the Scarlet Witch, crazy person who murdered the beloved heroes of the world (like her best friend Clint, not that she thought for a single instant that he wasn't going to come back)and/or destroyed their lives (like she did with her brother, letting him feeling like a drunken again, or putting Wasp and Yellowjacket against each other) and used her powers to rebuilt the word in a manner she enjoyed more (when Tony and Clint told her about the House of M, she run in her bathroom and thrown away for hours); second, she doesn't know what her team-mates – left out Pete, whom she personally shared her amount of information and frustrations with once she come back to be his "girlfriend" or whatever she ahs always been, mostly because, at the time, she still felt guilty because she hadn't trust him with the whole Skrull thing – know about what she did; third, what she is scared more for, she knew Wanda. She had met her- both when she worked for the Maria Stark Foundation, and when she was living in Genosha, working for her dad. And not only the Scarlet Witch isn't recognizing her, but Chris isn't recognizing her mind. She thinks about it, and, since she is still one of the most powerful beings of the universe, she understands what Pete is seeing now too: they have to accept her offer, they have to let her help, she could be the only one strong enough to oppose Dracula's forces. Besides, she is a sick woman, right? Maybe this is the only reason she is acting strange, and Chris isn0t recognizing her mind… after all, it's not like they've met as heroes before, pr that she has red her mind… but, still, there's something that's troubling her. If she is with the Avengers, since Osborn's Avengers were going to help, she has to be with the other group of Avengers, Clint's ones, and, well, she knows Clint well enough to know that it's not like he can forgive and forget so easily…

"You're with the Rebellion? With Cage's Avengers?" it's like Pete and Chris are still communicating through their minds, since he does the question she is not daring to pose to this woman.

I'm with the real Avengers, those led by Pym…

_so, a crazy woman who's working with a known crazy man who used to hit his wife and change name day by day? And don't forget the experimentation on himself…_ Chris is not sure if she effectively told Pete this, but these are her thoughts, this is what she thinks of them, of this 2 persons. 2 persons she can't trust.2 persons she doesn't want to trust. And Pym… well, they both have an argument, last time they met each other, she didn't enjoyed the way he spoke about her brother, what he told him, and, mostly, she didn't enjoyed the fact that he dared to put her in the middle, asking Tony if he was going to kill even her for his own personal benefits and interest… like it was Tony alone the one responsible for Janet's death.

he is in space with our team, he ask you to…She'd like to ask her something, or, at least, hear everything they have to say, but Wanda, all of them, are cut off.

"Sir! – a young man at the transmissions says – we've been cut off… magically, I believe… everything's gone. No way out or in, sir. Communications are working only on the inside of the country…. Even the fly-zone… no one can enter…"

"Brain, go…" again Pete's cut off, he even got to end the sentence, that his "man" was already up in the sky to check on the situation. For the longest 10 minutes of their lives, they stay in silence, looking at the pavement, biting their lips, trying to force the tears back in their eyes, not daring to spoke, change subject or doing something else, and, as the communicator breaks the silence, Chris feels Pete's hand on her one, stroking in gently but firmly, like to confirm something, or to ask her to let it go, to not be concerned – not too much – about it. Like to tell her that everything will end well, that they'll be happy, in the end, but she is not sure of it, no longer, and, for the first time of her life, she is so scared of what's going on that she doesn't even pay attention to the communication. Not that she doesn't want, but she wasn't able to, it's like it never took place. And Pete understands it from the look in her black eyes.

"it was Jac. She didn't spoke with us, she just gave us a coordinate. She want to meet us there, she says she wants help, but she sounded… like a vampire."

"Brian says he tried to break the barrier, and that he knew he could, but it looked like it was a one way trip. Once out, you can't come back in" Chris has still her eyes closed, as she repeated the message she telepathically received for the team-mate and former leader of Excalibur, and once king of the mystic real of Otherworld.

"Tell him about Jac, and that we know it's a trap, but that we have to go to get more intel about them and what they are up to. Tell him to meet us there…"

_**Somewhere in the north of Britain, almost an hour later…**_

Once left the jet, on the soil they look, still in silence, at each other and around, waiting for Brian to come. Dressed with their "uniforms" and clothes, they repeat their silent prayers, as, for an instant, Pete hold Chris in his arms, embracing her from the back, as she is looking at the mountains with crossed arms, frightened by the good possibility of her imminent death; letting her head rest on his chest, she can't help but think about the fact that it wasn't supposed to be this way… she is not thinking about her "story" or whatever it is with Pete, she is thinking about her whole Life. She never asked to be a hero, hell, she never wanted to be one, it was supposed to be just an intelligence work, but Tony and Clint had to put themselves in the middle conditioning her whole existence…

_Faiza is ready to do everything is her power to stop her dad, even killing him, if she'll have to… she is so… how can she be so determinate? I'm so… Pete, I'm scared. I've never been that much scared of something in my whole life, neither when the Skrulls put me down, or in Genosha. And it's something._

"Jac says she managed to break free, but she sounded like a vampire. We wanted to make sure, but if she is one of them, Blade, as she asked him once, will take her down." Pete doesn't answer her. She knows why. It's not just because Brian arrived – again, without she even noticed it – and he had to talk with him, but because his mere embrace was enough, and, maybe, because he feels like her. Maybe, deep inside, he is as scared as she is…

"incoming!" Dana shouts, looking at something that looks like giant bullets on fire falling from the sky on their heads… right before them, on the soil, a chasm erupting flames like it was hell on Earth… and how could it not be hell, given the creature that left said chasm? A creature that once was human, once was a friend, once was a hero. A creature that has no longer something in common with humans… and it's not because it's magic. It's because it's evil incarnated.

"I can feel the magic around her. – Brain says, closed teeth- it's protection from sunlight. It means…"

"Jac, let's get past this – Pete says as he does few steps in her direction, offering her his hand, tears in his eyes hidden by his glasses – we know you are one of them, but if there's still something of what you used to be left somewhere inside you…"

"If you'll come with us and tell us what you know – Chris says, without leaving her position, not daring to come closer to the woman she was starting to consider a friend – O says we can keep you on ice until…"

"Until what? Until there's a cure? – Jac is screaming in anger, like the words she just heard gave life to a never ending agony – I'm tired of this! Tired of people treating magical mutation like a virus! But you're right, Pete Dear… – she says grinning evilly, as a legion of vampires leaves the "ships" they arrived with and takes place at her back, one of them taking place at her right, like it was her second, slightly different from the other ones, more similar still to a human, with his long black hair and his blue eyes, but clearly not a "newborn" - let's go past this!- as she screams these last words, the vampires leaves their positions, attacking the small, extremely small group of heroes, and, at the same time, a plane delivers its precious cargo right on the head of the vampires… a cargo that was precious until few seconds before, a cargo that ended being useless, as who once used to be Spitfire grins at them, still on her feet like every other single vampire, driven by madness and rage –holy water? Is that everything you've got? We've Lady Lilith and her magic… and, as we speak, more and more of us are arriving, engaging combat all over our reign… and soon even Dracula's vessel will be here!"

"She is the local commander, it means…" Pete starts

"…that if we take her down…" Blade continues

"maybe the vampire hierarchy control system could fall in pieces…" Chris continues

"Otherwise, even with Cap, we'll never be able to get out of this. There's too many of them…" Blade continues again. Their voices are a whisper, but it's the only thing she can do, speaking. Blade is half vampire, she can't feel or be linked with him…. And, besides, what she is feeling right now is something else. A thought from the outside, a feeling from someone around themselves… someone ready to die, someone ready to battle until her very end. She feels Faiza's self-awareness, her need to fight. And it's like she doesn't hear at all what she told them, begging them to save her dad's soul whatever it takes. She just, like everybody, her screaming her battle-name, to let the vampires feel what every single one of them is feeling: fear. "EXACLIBUR!" But it's not like she thought, not at all. As she screams, it's like they're receiving a signal, and run. Run for her, for her team-mates.

"Lucien – she says to her second - my army… now!" They, the good ones, kill as many vampires as possible, every single one of them doing its best, until… until everything goes to hell. In seconds, Spitfire kills with her own hands Faiza, removing her head from her neck. Lady Lilith sends Brian outside the force-field, leaving him as an exile from his own land, and, the same magical spell, divides Blade from his team-mates, leaving him alone in a land no longer of humans; Dane, furious from the death of his love, loose contact with reality, lost to rage, is an easy target. Like Wisdom, loose, instead, to responsibility, who is looking to his comrades dying. And Chris… as the battle goes on, she remembers it. She remembers all the battle she fought in the last years. She remembers Genosha, and the voices of the people dying around her. She remember the Civil war, and the people scared for the destruction of the city, the sufferance of the parents in Stamford. She remembers the battle with Hulk, how she could "feel" Tony, and Reed, and Stephen Strange and all the others even without her powers. She remembers that town destroyed by the Purifiers and the Marauders, the desperation, the people left dying. She remember the people screaming in terror as the aliens were attacking. She remembers them, how they were feeling, when she could find a soul in point of death. And she screams in agony, eyes tearing blood, hands on her hears, on her knee on the soil, as she sees the man she loves and her friends dying, killed by the vampires, she sees them. She hears them screaming, the battle. She feels him dying inside her hearth, mind and soul, like a never-ending torture. She almost doesn't see it coming. She doesn't see Lucien approaching her, a feline grin on his "face". She is too busy complaining, preying for it to stop.

"At last, the head of the last one, after so many years, is mine… - he says as he uses a sword to send her whole body in pieces, taking her head, like a trophy, in his hands, fro her brown hair – I hope the master will be proud of me… vengeance has been served."

And so… so the world goes black for her. And everybody in the realm….

Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: the war with Dracula continues!


	28. MI:13 Vampire Nation part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters (although I'd like it) but just, in a "moral" sense, Blackdragon; Captain Britain and MI 13 with their whole cast belong to Marvel Comics,

* * *

_**27. VAMPIRE STATE – PART THREE**_

**_MI-13 Headquarter; briefing room._**

**_Dracula's too far from my magical room of wishes. You said to set it up so he'd walk into it thinking it was his cabin…_**

"At least, trapping him into his hearth desire bought us some time… - Chris says, still dressed with her usual street clothes, looking at magical screen in front of them, where the demon lord Plokta is showing them what he let Dracula believe – and gave us an idea about what he has in mind…I still can't believe that, after Dracula's destroyed the skull, we've passed 2 whole days looking at what he had in mind for us… he seriously is one of the greatest strategist of all the times, orchestrating a plan witch which he was going to destroy us all in less than 2 days… "

"The vampire has some strange ideas about Brian… - Blade says under his teeth, crossed arms, looking at soil – he likes fighting me, something I'm not sure how I have to deal with, and…"

"and he has some strange ideas about myself, too- Chris says, looking at him, ending his sentence before he could, knowing where he wants to go – one of his first move was to get me killed by Jac's second, muttering something about my head and that I'd be the last one… the last one of what?"

"According to Blade's info – Pete says as he reaches them again, after having said a spell to free Plokta after he had been so nice to help them, buying them 2 days – he is one of Dracula's second. His name is Lucien, a vampire almost as old as Dracula himself. He used to be his champion… rumours say he is the only one he is truly loyal to. We knew he had some enemies here, where he has been spotted the last time he hit, but it was almost 25 years ago."

"and he has it bad for me."

"your head, in particular, love. Seems that the Vampires are a little obsessed with the heads of their enemies."

"which I'm not, since I've never met a vampire in my whole life.- she says as they walk towards the communication room – any idea why those… thing, no offence Blade, was so obsessed with me?- as she asks this, Blade, silently, as they all keep walking, shrugs his shoulders, hands in his pockets, as she starts to speak again, with her British sarcasm, something she has never lost and has conserved in the years, from her childhood of child genius- sweet. Now, apart from aliens, monsters, demons, evil mutants and former criminals turned heroes, I've got even vampires who're trying to kill me! I'm starting to think that Alec was right, the day I decided to put on a costume I had to stay in bed and sleep."

"This is something we've to take in consideration, like the fact that you can't fight, not with your psychic powers that could run havoc while you're fighting"

"Not to contradict you, boss, but that was what Dracula wanted. How can you be so sure that I'll lose control over my telepathy if something will happen to any of you?"

She looks at him in the eyes, while they are leaning against a console, cold eyes and anger in her veins, a stone-cold tone. She doesn't like to be second-guessed, or to be put aside. Or, worst of all, when he sees her as a fragile porcelain doll. She is a fighter. She is a warrior. She is not ready to be put aside because she sleeps with the boss. She doesn't want to. "You panicked during the Skull war." He coldly says, without even looking at her.

"I've improved my abilities since them, developed new powers. I can control my own psyche like it was a computer, I can build a sub-routine in order to…"

"We'll se – he says without paying too much attention to her, focused on a radar in front of him – Dracula knows we saw his desires, he'll never let Jac call us, and, probably, knows everything about the international situation… in the few days Plokta bought us, we've been able to form the resources we have up, and now we know everything about him and his forces… I want the Black Knight and Excalibur in O's tech lab. Blade, there's a car waiting for you, they have order to bring you to destination. Cap – he says pointing to the screen, while Brian is already flying away – I'm sure you know what you have to do, you're Captain Britain, after all."

"And me?" Chris asks, the same tone, still cold eyes, as black as the night, as a night without any star or the moon.

"You follow me – he says as he is leaving, just to stop and turn to give a last look at the staff – I want to know that all the airports are under lockdown and I need a picnic hamper. You have 10 minutes from now"

"I seriously hope you're joking- she says as she takes him for an arm, like to stop him and force to look in her eyes – I'm not here because I'm your tool, _sir_ - she says underlining with her tone the last word – I'm here because I'm good in what I do."

"We're needed elsewhere – he says as he forces her to let him go, a bit mad for her behaviour, like she was questioning his authority, something that, she seems to underline with her looks, she is doing and has all the intentions to keep doing - besides, I'll explain you everything when the time will come."

"Pete, please, I just want to…" she is begging, no longer drove by rage and her eternal insecurities. Begging him to let her go. To be part of the game. To be alongside her friends in the final battle

"you'll stay here – he orders her with a magisterial tone – that's everything that has to be told. besides, this isn't the last battle, and it will have short life. I guess they'll be back sooner than we expect them to be. "

"But.."

"Enough of this, Johnson – he says, turning again to look at her, facing the young woman without letting his guard down, in the most authoritative tone he has never had, at least with her, in their whole time together – that's an order. you follow me, you do as tell you. And now you have to come with me. we'll need your telepathy"

"as you whish, sir" she says, giving up, embracing herself at avoiding to look not only in his face, but at him at all, avoiding eye-contact, feeling like in the middle of a storm: she can just feels cold, as she, still avoiding to look at him, tightens her teeth and closes firmly her fists, so firmly that she can almost feels the blood on her black coloured short fingernails; she doesn't even care to remember that her powers – her telepathy, at least, doesn't work on vampires, that it's useless, she doesn't even care to ask him why he needs her, what he needs her for. There's no point, not now, at least, not for her. Not given the actual circumstances.

"objectives achieved. No losses" as she enters – better: as she follows Pete's shadow without lifting her eyes from the soil, like to avoid to be further hurt – she hears those words, and, finally, she looks at what's in front of her, a worm-hole created by mystical energies and technologies, projected into O's lab, and, from its core, the Black Knight, Excalibur, the humans took captive by Dracula in order to become Vampires and, in Dane's arms, an almost unconscious Spitfire, with the clothes she had on the last evening they saw her, covered with dust and blood, just mere pieces of fabric on her, the rest almost entirely destroyed by the ransom and the fights she had to go through in the last 3 days.

"you're Sheriff Daltry, right? – Pete says as he helps a man who's on the floor to stand on his own: his clothes are not so different from Jac's ones, just to less blood on, and it's not that hard to understand the reason behind this simple fact – you're free now. You'll taken for medical treatments and then I'd like to a briefing with you. Our telepaths will talk to you soon. I know you'll not remember much, and probably don't even want to, but…"

"I.. just….thank… - he starts to speak, faltering, as he finally stands, helped in walking to the medical bay by 2 men – thank you." And, as the sheriff walks away, Pete approaches the last person standing, alone, in the room, where nobody stays close to her but everybody is staring at her: Spitfire, in a position similar to the one Chris had before, but much more suffering and troubled, not fighting to shut down her tears, but letting them go, run wild on her marvellous and everlasting and forever young face, the face of an 80 years old woman who looks like a 35 years old, at worst. And, seeing how Pete is fighting his own tears, the sufferance in his own voice, his manners… Chris is rational. She is like a machine. She can be like a computer. That's what her new mutation is all about (although she is fighting hard against this new "programming", knowing too well where his extreme rationality, his computer-like mind brought Tony to ), but she can't help it. Not with him, not as he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the universe. How can she do something like that? As they speak, as he embraces her, she knows why he is doing it, she knows she is destroyed by the thoughts of the lives she had to take in order to same the majority, but she can't help it. She can't not be jealous, as he takes her in his arms, trying to reassure her.

"excellent job, Jac. When you realised you weren't under his control, the initiative you took, how you went along with it, and the help you gave us when you contacted us…"

"Never mind that, Sir- she says, embracing herself and looking away, her voice a mere whisper, looking at the soil but not at the people. She can't stand the thoughts of looking at any human, not now. And even Chris, that can't reed her for her particular state of "semi-vampire", can understands it. – in the course of my actions, I had to kill an innocent… - she looks again away, avoiding him, who's trying to force her to face them, him – the enemy could have realised… too many lives was depending on it, and…. – she pauses again, as he starts to guide her outside- sorry. Just… I haven't had to do it since Norway, 1940… 20th June 1940 – she removes her tears, stopping, her eyes closed, and, few instants later, open again, her force back, her strength back, her decision back, a voice no longer a whisper, but resolute – but… I can't afford the luxury to whining. May I hope you'll keep me operational?"

Again he takes her for her shoulders, guiding her outside, under the watchful eyes of the woman he should do that with – although she knows she's being irrational. "of course I am – he tells her, smiling again – you're going to kill few of those damn bastards for us."

"Thank you, sir, and about my son…" her voice is again low and full of sufferance. That, Chris can't understand, she hasn't seen a son turned into a monster, but she can get it.

"We're on it, and Joe and Erik are already in the field, and now, let's find you something to drink, ok?" She can get it, but, still, it doesn't mean that she ahs to act nice. Not with him, at least. Jac isn0t responsible for his actions. He does. And she is still furious with him for what he did, for how he behave with her, how he is behaving with her.

"do you want me to go to see if the ones he held prisoners remember something?" she asks like out of the cold. Now turned cold like before, she acts like she doesn't care at all. About him and what he thinks of her. He wants to be the boss? She is fine with that. She'll be the good soldier who always hear the orders. Hears the orders, obeys and doesn't question her leader. And neither talks with him, for what it matters.

"Come back in the briefing room and wait for me. Give me ten minutes, and I'll by you.- He says as he leaves with Jac, while Chris tunes him her back, hoping it's the one and only time, to do as he says.- we need to catch a plane" she hear him say, almost a whisper he knows she is hearing, if not with her body, with her mind and soul. For the following minutes, she almost smiles, she almost feels relieved, as she keeps looking at her friends getting ready for the mission, while she is still sitting on the same chair, at crossed arms, her Armani still on, and she wonders. What's really going on? What's really Pete up? Is it something concerning the mission? Damn, of course it has to, c'mon, it's Pete she is talking about! She doesn't need to read into his mind to know what's going on! Maybe it's some sort of one of his master plans to get the job done and…

"We've to go" he says, without entering fully in the room, knocking at the door, still open.

"Oh? Sorry, didn't see you coming – she says as she joins him at the door, still acting a little coldly – I was…"

"Thinking- he says as he takes her for an arms guiding her towards the planes – I know. You always think. You over-think, seriously, you'd need to take it easy."

Once they take seat, still oddly silent, he puts his hand on her one, as she is looking outside the window, reluctant and not at easy with the whole situation.

"I have 3 simple request, before we leave" he says, although the plane is already in the air.

"I'm full ears" she says, trying to sound brilliant and happy – or close to – but still… still feeling something strange between the 2 of them.

"Don't ask me questions. Don't question my authority, not today. And don't read my mind. Especially this one. Don't. read. My. Bloody. Mind."

"You're thinking I could modify your thoughts in order to get what I want?" she asks, sarcastically, more a statement than a real question.

"Once we'll be where we'll have to, I'll explain you everything. Just, trust me, will you? -he asks, with a hint of a smile, one of those sad smiles he does when he needs approve. – I guess that I'll take your silent treatment as a yes." He looks at her, grinning, a grin she answers to with a smile, or, at least, a shadow of it, since it wasn't absolutely in her intentions to smile at him. He doesn't deserve it, not today, at least.

**_A field in Kent, near midnight._**

"You're out of your freaking mind, Wisdom. This is odd even for you. No, wait, I correct myself – she says shouting at him, declaring officially over the silent treatment she was giving him until few seconds before – this is damn crazy even for your standards! What the hell do you think you're accomplishing here, exactly?" she is standing, close to a tree, in the middle of the night, and can't help but wonder exactly what's going on. And, mostly, what the hell was she thinking about when she started to "date" that man.

"Sit down. Put on the bloody jacket I brought you – he says as he opens a bottle of wine and start to take everything out from the picnic hamper he already found where he told his agents to put it, putting all the choice food on the white and red tablecloth on the grass – drink some wine for once and enjoy the fireworks."

"Pete, for God's sake, this is.." she ménages to say, but, as she looks at him, seeing that he is no longer intended to answer her, and remembering that she, effectively, did promise, she gives up and, frustrated as never before (last time she was that much frustrated, was when she and her group of research won the Nobel, almost a decade before, and a journalist didn't wrote the name Christine Stark, but defined her simply as Anthony Stark's sister), sits at crossed legs and arms, in front of him, while he keeps offering her food – her favourite food – and wine – her favourite wine, the only one she has never drank in her entire life, a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from 2001, a red wine that, according to the bible of the field, Wine Spectator, was the best wine of history; she still remembers the first time she had it, it was Happy and Pepper's present for her 25th birthday. She had it with her friends… it was the last time she saw Clint before he died. McCoy was there. Natasha – the only ex of her brother she can stands and can speak to. Happy – it was the last time she saw him alive, before the burial -and Pepper. Rhodey. Kitty. Jean. Kurt. How much of them did she lose along the way? How many of them were going to come back? How many of them already did? How many of them weren't coming back at all?

"Chris?- he wakes her up, as she takes from his hands her glass. He removes, first time in days, his sunglasses, looking briefly at her and then at the stars, at the sky, the full moon – do you know that I'm a big fan of Christopher Priest? The novelist…– he looks at her again, almost sorry – what a thing to say, of course you know him. You know everything."

"The guy who wrote _The Prestige_ and_ eXistenZ? _Yeah, well, I'm a nerd in this kind of literature. didn't know we had the same tastes in science -fiction" she looks at him, trying to understand where he is going.

"I liked the Prestige. My favourite book. If you listen to me, the movie wasn't that bad, but neither you could compare it to the novel."

"Ok…"

"It's that I like reading about stage magic. My sort of magic, considering what I do for a living."

"it's a metaphor, ok, I get it, but, Pete, to be honest, if I wanted a philosopher, I'd went to study to some classical institute, not to work here."

"There's this big trick I'm in the middle of, deadly serious. It's like when Churchill forced Hitler to fight the battle of Britain, knowing it was the only battle we could win, at the time. It was here, you know?"

"More metaphors, ok, but you're still making no sense" she almost smiles, still the glass in her hand.

"Yeah, and I haven't had my wine yet – he said, smiling, too, his forehead against her one, as she starts to breath in his scent, his typical Hugo Boss cologne she can find herself lost into, like melting – I'm here because I want to… I hope to see that my trick worked. And because I need you now. Because, just in case, it didn't… the last person I want to be with, the last person I want to see, the last thing I want to see – he says as he embraces her for her shoulders – is you"

"This is the reason you left the tie and shirt at home and went for something less typical?" she ask him, still smiling a little.

"someone once told me that I could look nice with a polo and jeans – he says, as he turns again to face her, who's looking at his shaggy old blue-jeans and black polo, with a V-neck on it –if I got it wrong, it's all over for Britain. Get ready… - he says as he takes her hands, holding it as firmly as never before, even he hold her in his arms when the Thunderbolts almost killed her – it all starts now…"

"What the.. – she says as she sees something in the sky- that's not a star, isn't it?"

"You see – he says grinning – everyone's treating this like a game of chess… but, you, when lives and a country are at stake…"

"You cheat?" she asks him, understanding, a little, where he is going.

"Yeah, well, about the head of Quincy Harker… the one we saw destroyed… there's something I didn't inform you all of. Well- he smirks –Blade knew, of course. But, as I was saying, I was able to contact Diana, the nice old lady who doesn't like me but love you, and, well… I asked her to take one of those skulls she had and, well, make it look like a mystical artefact of unthinkable power."

"make it Look like? – she realises, at open mouth, looking just at him, both hands on the cover – you mean that the real deal…"

"Always said you're the smart one in the family, love – he says inches from her lips – everything we've done from the day he thought he had destroyed it, it was to avoid him to find out the truth. Plokta stopped him before he could really launch his scouts. We had a raid on his ship, letting him believe it was the only thing we could try. But it wasn't. technically speaking, it wasn't even that necessary. But we just didn't want to stop him, we wanted to save as many of us as possible – he says as he points something up in the sky, letting her see that there's no longer just one fire in the sky, but hundreds – those lights, as you imagined, aren't stars. Not even fireworks, to be honest. Those are vampires, entering in our orbit at an incalculable velocity. In… - he says, looking for a second at his wristwatch – in 5 seconds, they'll find out that, with the exception of Dr. Hussain, who I now declare is welcome to come back home, they aren't welcome here."

"a vampire has to ask for permission before to walk inside a property…" she asks astonished, more a statement.

"And the skull's spell enlarged this permission to the whole country. And, looking at the lights in the sky – he say grinning, resting on the soil, hands under his head, as a bigger fire sees the light in the sky, clear from everything – it worked. This way, we'll have them all. and there goes the ship – he pauses for an instant, taking again a proper position at her side, and, a simple touch on his digital wristwatch, he starts to speak again, going again into Nick Fury mode – the enemy has disengaged. The reminder will be heading for the locations Spitfire pinpointed. All reserves to commit. All units to engage. Everyone in – he closes the call, and looks at her again – now, everyone who's with Dracula, is because they want to, their consciousness are now free from Lilith's spell."

"I should be there with them." She still points it out, but unsure of how she has to feel about it.

"I know, but… - he pauses, lowering his eyes a little – well, Vengeance is now served, and the best part of it? Almost no one in the Reign had to take in on themselves. That's' what we do for a living, in the wonderful world of intelligence… cheers!"

**_Epilogue one: London, Arden Road. The day after._**

As she enters in her home, the place that once belonged to her parents, her biological ones, Chris throws, first thing, her high stiletto heels on the carpet, without even paying too much attention to where they end, and, removing with her hands the jacket Pete gave her and her waistcoat, she turns her fireplace on with a little aid from her telekinetic abilities. As she jumps on the sofa, crossed legs, she starts to massage her shoulders and her neck, looking at Pete, who, instead on coming closer to her, takes a chair from the nearby table, once covered with pieces of fabric, and goes to seat at the other side of the sofa, not as close as she'd like.

"Ehy, you know – she says as she goes by him, her head on the armrest, close to his knees, still on the sofa, ling down on it, trying to look seductive, both with her voice and her mannerism – although my whole body is starting to ache, I'm pretty sure I still have few hours of adrenaline left –she says as she starts to play with his v-neck – wonna take advantage of the situation and celebrate that everything ended well? I guess it's what Brian and Meggan and Dane and Faiza are doing…"

"Although I'm pretty honoured to be the object of your attentions and to be able to unleash such a sexual and hormonal storm in you – he says with a sad smile and forcing her to seat on the sofa, where he joins her, taking her right hand in his one putting it to rest on his legs – I'm… there's something you need to know. Something I've recently found out that regards you. something I didn't have the gut to tell you before, but that I have to."

"Pete, I seriously hope it's not a proposal, because for as much I love you, I'm not ready to commit myself.- She smiles and laughs. She thinks he is not serious, he is joking, but, a look at him, and she changes her mood, her yes mirroring his owns – oh my… - she closes her eyes, focused on the her and now, trying to understand what could trouble her- them- so much, and in the blink of an eye she has her answer – Tony… Tony is… he is dead, isn't he?" she says, hands covering her face, tears running wild from her eyes, as she jumps in his chest to find peace and comfort.

"It's about your family – he says forcing her to look at him in the eyes, sad and unsure- but not Tony. It's about… the family you had here, in this home. And about vengeance."

"Vengeance? You mean they found the guy who killed them in that damn hit-and-run? After 24 years?" she asks, like she doesn't care, like she feels it's kind of strange.

"They were killed, honey"

"I know it" she looks at him like he is telling some idiocy.

"24 years ago."

"Yes…" she is still in the dark.

"Lucien stroke for the last time here, In London, 24 years ago."

"You're telling me Lucien at the time was a human and was the one responsible for their deaths?"

"He was already a vampire, at the time"

"Didn't know vampires had cars… guess there's something right in that damn Twilight series, after all" she smirks, just a little, still into oblivion.

"They didn't die in a hit-and-run, Chris – he says, taking the oval of her face into his hands – they've been slaughtered by him. – he pauses – this is the reason I wanted you here yesterday. I wanted you to be safe, the more far away possible from Dracula and Lucien."

"Lucien, the one who killed me in Dracula's dream, and, according to you, killed my parents, even if I don't remember it." She is incredulous, like "you're just telling bullshit and I don't bought it."

"These are from few friends from by Black Air days - He then takes an envelope from his jacket, revealing many photos, and giving it to her, she sees it.-Charles Xavier. Still very young. Less than 20, more than a teen but less than a man. As you can see in these Photos, he is with your father, mother, sister and you. And the place, is the garden of this home. When the government found out about one of his citizens had powers, it managed to follow him, in order to find a way to get to him. Mutants were still a rarity at the time, and Black Air was extremely in needed of someone with his abilities."

"But I don't have a sister… this girl… she seems…"

"9 years older than you. Almost as old as Tony. Your older sister, Marion Susan Johnson, at the age of 13, when she first manifested her powers."

"I had a mutant sister."

"Xavier followed your dad and sister because they were both mutants, and thought you were going to be one, too. unfortunately, while he was still in England, 2 days after this pictures had been taken, they've been killed. You saw Lucien killing them, and the shock awakened you powers… but you were too young, and so, dear Charley played a little with your mind and brainwashed everyone into believing it was an incident. Even Tony and his parents."

"You're telling me he covered this up?"

"It wouldn't be the first time…wait, no, it actually was the first time he did it, but definitely not the last one, as we all know"

"But what about.. Marion? Why don't I remember her?"

"She was alive. No one knew where she is now, but she survived."

"I'd have a sister. And Xavier brainwashed me because I was going all madly destructive with my powers. Because my parents were killed. By a vampire." She calmly says, looking at the flames

"yes"

"here"

"yes"

"why?"

"your mother descended from a… tribe, we could call it, of hunters of demons and monsters and vampires. She was… magical, kind of. According to Diana, - he says showing her few photos of a younger Diana with her mother – she killed one of Dracula's favourite brides, letting the revenge game starting."

"Lucien was his champion"

"yes"

"So this is the reason I thought I knew Diana? That it looked like she knew me and my story? She looked so like…"

"Yes, they knew each other, and the Tanya she was talking about when we met her, was, in fact, your mother."

"How did you…"

"Plokta suggested it, he saw everything in your subconscious. It was part of our… pact, we can call it. In exchange of his services, he helped us and told me what he found inside your mind."

"HE saw… I saw a girl, in that dream-like scenario… older than me, looked like mum in the painting, but slightly different… and Plokta says it's her?"

"Nott exactly. It's Your version of her, how you think she should be by now. Probably it's not just for Plokta's power that you… dreamed of her. I think it could be somehow related to your new powers, you were the one saying you have now access to areas of your mind you hadn't before… it's not my work, but I can just think that your memory was trying to build some kind of new… connections… in order to let you see what was right under your nose – he pauses, again – anyway, I talked with Diana, she confirmed it, like even Blade did, too"

"Mum knew Blade?"

"They met once, while they were hunting the same vampire.- he pauses – he didn't know you were her daughter, thought. He said your dad was pretty jealous of him. Of everyone, it seems. Guess now I know where you take it from."

She pauses, looking still at the flames "So, Charles…"

"After what Plokta and the others told me, I did few investigations on my own, and a friend of mine gave me a file with the pictures of your dad and Xavier."

"Charles… I can't believe it… he already knew me, when he asked me to be one of his spies… he lied to me the whole time…"

"yes"

"So, I've been a tool in his hands since the beginning…"

"We can't be sure how he interfered in your life, Chris, maybe…"

"and I've been loyal to him since… since ever. – she laughs – guess it's time to show my colours and whom I'm truly loyal to when it comes to mutants, right?" she says as she takes his hand and drives him outside, sealing the building with a force-field.

"Chris, what…" he says, breaking the silence, and looking at her standing outside the building staring at it with tears and rage and hate, until a soft violet light surrounds the whole construction, and, at the same time, the windows explode-

"Call the Fire Department. I don't want to see the whole neighbourhood in flames- she states as she looks at the building going in fire – but not too soon, please. I want to make sure that nothing of the place where my parents found their deaths will stand, once this will be over…"

**_Epilogue Two. Elsewhere…_**

"Do I have to suppose that they eventually win?- as he enters in the salon of the ancient castle, he goes near the immense window, enlightened just by the moonlight, where, on a throne-like chair, sits a woman, beautiful, so white and pale that she looks like an albino, drinking a red liquid from a champagne flute; on her knees, sits a young boy, more or less 5, maybe even 6, not older, as pale as her, if not more. As the man goes closer to woman who spoke, his silhouette takes form, showing him for what he is: almost a giant, his physique similar to the one of a culturist. As he joins her, the boy drinks the same liquid from the glass, and the man, the beautiful man with long brown hair, knees at her side, while the duo who was already there look outside, at the starlight; soon, the room, once void if not for them, becomes full, filled by beautiful and pale creatures, and, as they surround the man, the blonde woman turns to look at the man on her knees, and, caressed him, she forces him to stand – No, please, we've lost our Lords… you're the oldest of us now, you were his favourite… you don't have to knee in front of me…"

"No, I wasn't his favourite – he says, as he closes his fists and hits the wall – she was. I can't understand why he didn't listen to us… the Master had to knew he couldn't trust that… that creature! You told us we couldn't trust a Falsworth!"

"The master saw Kenneth as a son, my ex husband has always had the ability to convince everyone to do as he pleases…"

"Everyone but not his mother."

"As you said – she says as she stands at his side at the window, the child still on the throne – she was a Falsworth, and the only Falsworth good is John… Kenneth has always been even too sweet. At the end, he even asked his loyal friend – she continues with disgust – to spare his miserable life… not that I'm that much surprised, though: he even wasn't able to give me a proper heir, I had to give our beloved John everything by myself… immortality, power, strength, youth… the only thing he passed him, was his sickness."

"What do we do, now, my Baroness?"

"we wait, my love. Our Lord will come back. He always does. Until then, we wait, and now, my dear love, you are our new Master… and our new Baron Blood… - she pauses, as she puts a medallion at his neck – and we wait. We wait for our revenge on Blade. On Spitfire. On Wisdom and his people… and, mostly, we wait to get our revenge on the last daughter of the Hunters…. We wait to get our revenge on the Blackdragon, and to end her life once and for all, my dear Lucien. we killed all her people, and one day, she'll be dead, just like them."

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Ok, now you can tell me if you liked it or if you hated it... I WANT A lot of reviews!!... and see you with next chapter in a month or so... next: it's always war, but this time, Blackdragon is fighting against her own kind... it's mutant against mutant, as Cyclops calls the shot for X-Force to find the hope of theri future and destroy Bishop!


	29. Avengers and War Machine: War Protocols

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own this charachres - War Machine and his crew, Pete Wisdom, The West Coast Avengers ir the Dark Avengers. and i'm doing nothing to get money from this piece of literature....

**spoiler alert: **War Machine issue #8-10

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before to begin, just a couple of notes: **first **of all, I'm sorry if I didn't post on the usual date, but I've been quite busy with work; besides, I had all these chapters already written, but then I decided that I somehow found more apporpriate post it before the Messiah War mini.**second: **it's something I forgot to put at the end of the last chapter, the final issue of the Vampire Nation Story Arc; in that part, I put a brand new character, Lucien. I wanted to remeber you all that he was mentioned for the first time in BLACKDRAGON ANNUAL 01 - DAYS OF PRESENT, PAST AND FUTURE , and, later, in the AU Au Rise of the Phoenix; looks like he survived the experience, and now is waiting to get his revenge at the side of his "spouse", Baroness Blood, poor Kennet Falsowrth's ex-wife... (yeah, I know, sometimes I can be a bit of a nerd, but when i put that down for the last time, it was the same day I red a collection of old Tomb of Dracula stories...) anyway... here we go again.... read, review, and have fun!**

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****_EPISODE 27: THE WAR MACHINE PROTOCOLS_**

_Somewhere in London._

_Drin, Drin, Drin. _For many times, the telephone in the living of the two-room small and Spartan attic rings, and, a second before the answer machine could start, anyone who is on the other side of the line hangs up; the first time, he even doesn't pay attention, or care about, too taken by the moment and the view. And by the need of sleep, after the war with the vampires and, then, 10 days spend hunting down a bunch of renegade evil fairies under Oberon's orders, in company of his team and of his fairy princess ex-wife (something that his actual girlfriend didn't enjoy at all- but the feeling, he saw, was quite mutual, as Think seems to not hate her, maybe, because he'd seen that the only person she is able to hate is him, but she absolutely doesn't like his precious Chris at all). Besides, Chris never sleeps, almost never, at least- and it's not because she doesn't want to. She isn't the kind of scientist that decides to not have any sleep because she wants to save humanity or solve everything – she keeps repeating himself that sleep deprivation is like getting drunk, for the brain cells- she doesn't sleep too much simply because she have continuous nightmares, she often isn't even able to fall asleep at all, and this sort of things all the way. So, if for once she is sleeping, and sleeping so peacefully that she is even smiling looking like a satisfied child (something she was the night before, satisfied, he mentally says at himself, not a child, definitely not a child), no one should dare to interrupt her dream. Besides… besides, she needs it, more now than ever before. Finding out she was in part magical didn't exactly helped her cause, resulting only in her getting focused not only on science but on magic too… last time he checked on her, she was reading a grimoire, Trying to cover it…), and he doesn't know what to do . She has had got nightmares, a brand new kind of – he suspects he could start to remember the slaughtering of her parents, although Xavier cleared her minds when she was just 4- , and, once awakened, she asked him to not talk about it, to not ask her any questions. She has been pretty clear about the fact that she isn't ready to talk about it, to discuss about whatever happened, and he is ready. He is ready to wait for her, as she did with him many times…besides, it's not like he told her everything about his work, about what he did in the past, even about everything he does right now… and he can only look at her, smiling. Fully awakened and smiling like a drunken idiot, lying down on his right side, an arm under his head like a pillow, he looks at her, tempted by the idea of kissing her (not on the lips, he is not that rude to kiss a sleeping woman on the lips, something she couldn't answer to; he'd rather prefer to kiss her neck, her naked shoulders, her naked back, her whole still naked body…) and asking her to… enjoy his company again. But as soon as he is close to her scapula, he grins, smiling, and comes back to his side of the king-size bed.

_Drin, Drin, Drin._ He looks in direction of the damn thing again, tempted by idea of going to answer just to get the chance of telling the sick SOB what he thinks of him and his calling at just 7 in the morning, but, again, as soon as the answer machine is starting, the call is closed.

"Mmmmm… - she says as the room is still black, no light from the outside or coming from the shutters, muttering it aloud and yawning as he decides it's time to make his move on her, since she is now awake, and so, no regrets – quite the good morning you're giving me…" she says, with that half hated-half loved light of malice in her eyes, as he keeps kissing her neck, dipping down towards her abdomen, one hand at her back and one in her hair, while she is still stretching them towards the ceiling, but ready to put them in his black hair.

"Ehy, I didn't want to wake you up, but since you're already awake… - he grins on her skin, making her shiver and laughing – I suggest we take advantage of the situation and of the day-off…"

_Drin, Drin, Drin._

"It's the third time it's ringing…- she says to force him to let her go, an annoyed expression that disappears as soon as he start to tickle her stomach – ok, ok, I got it… if they want something, they'll leave a message…"

" See that you don't care at all about it like I do…- He says, as he is going to fight back for what they both deserve, not carrying about the damn pieces of furniture, that stops for few seconds just to start again after even less. –damn! Now those damn bloody idiots are gonna hear me!- he says, as he jumps out of the bed and, running half-naked for the apartment with just a pair of black tight boxers on, and, once taken the cordless in his hands, starts to cursing at whoever is at the other side- Who the hell is there? I don't want anything, I don't buy anything, I don't want to change my contracts… just let me the bloody hell alone! And I swear that if I…"

_'bout time someone answered, I was fearing to have to stay here all morning calling the same number… -_the male at the other side pauses, like to think about what he has to say and how to say it, like he was uncomfortable –_So, listen, I know she is there. May I talk with her?_

"Barton, right? Clint Barton, the Avenger…." He says as he is walking in direction of the room, where she is putting on one of his shirts closing it with a tie as belt. He recognized the man once he heard his voice, he's met him once, in New York, and it has been mutual hate, mostly on Clint's side, then on his one, but just because the man hated him first.

_Yeah, that's me. I need to talk with Chris. Her number somehow results inactive, and I thought it was a bit inappropriate to call at work- _he can hear he is grinning evilly, that, deep down, he'd like to ruin his life.-_I thought she could be by you, since she continues to find somehow you irresistible_

"How did you get this number, by the way? It's private and secure and…"

_Black Widow, the soviet super-spy. I used to date her. She dates a mate of mine, these days. And found quite nice our girl's company. Dated her brother, too._

"Yeah, sure, whatever…- he says as he enters in the room-wait a sec, how does it happen that she has my number, exactly?"

_Apparently, she had to poison a couple of your fellow MI6 to put her hands on it…_

"Oh My, I'm flattered. The Black Widow thinks I'm worthy a couple of homicides." He says, sarcastic, smirking, trying to imagine Barton's face in his head.

"Pete, sweetheart, stop to act like a 5 years old with super-powers and gimme that damn phone…"

_You aren't, the princess is –_ Clint points out, stone cold, trying to not let the anger win him –_you're not even worthy a single hair of our baby girl..._

"DON'T YOU DARE TO CALL HER YOUR BABY GIRL EVER AGAIN!_-_he shouts at him, and, a second later, he throws the object at her before to go to make some decent coffee – SAY HI BY ME TO THE MAN WHO HATES ME JUST BECAUSE IT HAPPENS THAT I WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT!"

"he doesn't mean it – she says as she starts to look outside the window: no rain today, a miracle – he knows that you hate him just because he has sex with me, like you do to everyone else who happens to sleep with me" she sarcastically grins, almost laughing at him, smiling, making fun of him.

_Hi, Chris, I'm happy to hear from you, me too_

"Sorry, you're right, I've been too rude. – she pauses, getting serous and going to seat on the bed again – how are you? Did you already married Bobbi again? Or you decided that you had to wait more than 10 days this time?- she pauses again, as she hears him muttering something at his wife – sorry Clint, how are you? For real, I mean." she finally asks, honest.

_I've been better_ _–_he says – _what happened to your number? Security reasons?_

"Oh, yeah, sorry for it… I cancelled it… after I destroyed the whole place…- she pauses again, knowing how he red the information that she is by Pete (or maybe he is in silence just because she confessed him she destroyed by herself her place) – it's not like we're living together, because we aren't. I just preferred to come here instead that to my apartment at the headquarter. I just had the worst weeks of my whole life, and today it's my first day off… I wasn't that much into being awakened by simulations and exercitations."

_I don't want to know any of it, Chris, so, please, don't go all "I'm so desperately in love with Pete Wisdom" with me …_

"I'm no longer a teen , and, besides, I've been married. What do you think I did with my husband?"

_until he was your husband, I was kind of cool with the whole thing, but if Mr. Greatest Spy of the planet after Fury doesn't have the intention of making you an honest to god woman…_

"old, fatherly and prude. Didn't know you had it in you, Barton. Not someone who slept with Moonstone while she was still Moonstone – she grins, then comes back to be serious – but I doubt you called to know about my sexual life. So, what's happening?"

_well, you see, I was thinking…well, technically, we were thinking… Bobbi and I… you have to see the facts, and consider the consequences, and, once see what's worse, I'm pretty sure that you'll agree with us… well, not really with us. I'm not ok with it, but Bobbi is, and until it's quite legal, I'm with her. Besides, it's more about me making my point and proving her I'm right about it. It, and everything, and once you'll see I'm right about it, I'm sure you'll reconsider… ._

"Split your gut, Barton. I'd like to hear how you'll end the sentence before my funeral."

_Do you still have that powers of control over technology?_

"I hope you didn't call just for this reason.. – she pauses, frustrated - sure."

_Then, I think you should come here for few days. We could need your particular… abilities._

"Osborn? About time you decided to put him down, but, do you already have a plan or…"

_No, definitely not. I mean, it's not Osborn we're talking about here. And, listen, I'm not even cool with this, but Bobbi keeps saying it's the only thing to do and.._

"Barton, be direct. What's happening?"

_Rhodey. He got.. mad, according to the others. And we… they think we have to stop him. Being Rhodey we're talking about, I keep telling them that, if he did it, it was because it was the right and the only thing to do, but they keep saying he become a genocidal maniac._

"We, like in the Avengers?"

_The west coast. Rhode's old friends. He founded the group with us, and Bobbi, Tigra and Simon see it like it's our duty to stop him_

"I wasn't one. Why do you want me in? because I think I understood you want me in.."

_First, you know him. Second, you control technologies. you'd be our wild card._

"Third, I can't enter in the USA, or Osborn will put me under arrest."

_Forth, like you can't do something about it._-He pauses –_Chris, I know you have never been an Avenger, not really, at least. And I know we've been through as many ups and downs as no one on this damn planet…but you know Jim. He was Tony's best friend. He was his body-guard. He has been your one, too, for what I can remember. You know him. He is your friend._

"Like I don't know it well enough. Did I ever tell you about that time, when I still pretended I didn't have powers, and some Iron Man enemy of C class tried to abduct me? Rhodey was there, we were visiting one of the subsidiaries of Stark Enterprises, he injured himself to protect me. that's just one of the things I owe him – she says, as she looks at what she could put on – but I owe him more, for what I did to him." She adds, almost a whisper, closed eyes, tears coming down, as she remembers the past months, what happened the previous year…_When everybody sees nothing but a disaster, Tony Stark sees an Opportunity. And Christine Johnson sees improvements. ._ Jim told them that day, in Santo Marco, when they found him. He was almost smiling, probably, he was trying to laugh, but only God knows how right he was: Tony, Reed, even Pym, they were the geniuses, able to create everything from the air, from zero, but in her field, she was a goddess: she could see the bugs in the systems, see how can they be improved, how they could work better, the iterations with bigger or smaller system, or, simply, with other ones; that was the reason behind Jim's new cybernetic body. She had been the one to suggest the use of no recent Starktech, preferring to play with was left of Stane's work – with few improvements, like she did with everything – with an add of few of her recent works, the ones not only Tony didn't know about, but that he was never going to find out about or go commercial. But the truth, is that she knows she has to do it. They always knew what could happen to Jim's mind, after the implants, and now it happened. It's not just about power and responsibility and duty, but about something she has to do because it's her fault. She and Tony created the problem, and now it's up to her to solve it.

_So?_

"I'm coming"

_2 days later, 37,2 miles from The Mangacara National Forest, Arizona._

"Look, I'm not going to question your authority here, whoever of you is in charge now – Chris, dressed with her MI 13 outfit, is sitting in the air, crossed legs, at the back of Bobbi and Clint, inside the ship they "borrowed" from Bobbi's old friends from her spy days – but… c'mon, it's Rhodey we're talking about! he has always been mr "right thing to do"… I'm sure you are just making it look worse than it is."

"he let a polar bear eat a Roxxon executive" Bobbi says

"who exterminated a village" Clint clarifies.

"maybe it wasn't exactly the right thing to do, but technically speaking, I'd not call him a homicidal maniac just for this"

"he gunned down 26 soldiers in Santo Marco!"

"each one of them responsible of genocide."

Santo Marco. Like it rang a bell inside her brain, she remains in silence for few second, eyes wild-open "You don't know what happened in Santo Marco. I'm sure that, whatever it was, he had his reasons." Sure, the cybernetic implants weren't doing any psychic damage… did she really think it was true? Or was it just her way of trying to let the remorse go, like it wasn't her fault he was killing dozens?

"what about tearing down an Indian reservation and destroying a u.s. army base?"

"And he didn't kill a single person, for what I know"

"you should be the rational one, you're supposed to agree with me"

"I was supposed to be on the other side of the Ocean, at a pub with my co-workers celebrating the last capture of some magical and bad creature, arguing with Pete about how I hate his ex-wife, and then making out with my hot British boyfriend and have a great night, not here for some unknown reasons."

"the reason you're here is because Rhodey is a homicidal maniac"

"Bobbi, It's Jim we're talking about! Every single person on this ship knows him from millions of years! Good Lord, he founded the West Coast Avengers with us! "

"The reason it's up to us to stop him"

"the reason I shouldn't be here, since I've never really been an Avenger…. – she closes her eyes, like to concentrate herself, a small red light visible in her contacts -I've got a reading. Visual contact in 10 seconds"

"And now I'll show you that… - Clint, in his Ronin "costume", stops to talk, putting an hand on his eyes to not look at the show, while Bobbi smirks half-satisfied by the revelation she has been right – nuts…" In front of them, War Machine is tearing apart a plane.

"Tigra is thinking about his friends, Simon will distract him. Don't let him see you, with your techno-telepathic powers you should be our only wild… card – Bobbi pauses, and looks at Jim ending Simon "Wonder Man" extremely easily – EMP arrows and be ready. Try to take him by surprise, see what you can do. We're not going to let him kill thousands."

**"I'd hold that EMP arrow. If it goes off here, both the ships will be dropped."**

"Then, we're lucky I don't need a EMP to shout you down…" As Jim Turns, red eyes, flying in her costume, surrounded by a scarlet aura, Chris looks at him, serious and cold.

**Christine "Chris" Antoinette Stark-Johnson, a.k.a. Blackdragon, currently member of the British Intelligence. Formerly part of the Initiative, and of the X-Men. Powers: telepathy, telekinesis, low-level empathy, technarc. **

"Your team is with us, don't try anything…"

**"I know it, Clint."**

"What do you…-Chris looks at him while the man she helped to create shows Clint his palm, a red light and a vibration just her can feel coming from the repulse rays – oh no….. Jim, don't you dare to…!"

She can't even end the sentence, that a "wave" starts from War Machine's fist; she doesn't need to hear the order given by the system, although she does, because she knows and understands what's going on, she doesn't even have to remember that she has been the one to build the implants. She has already live that, she has witnesses something similar… last time, it was just few months before… she has been an X-Man long enough to recognize the use of magnetic abilities, and she remembers quite well that even magneto used that trick… disassembling both the ships. She has to admit, he has been smart with this one, because he just accomplished not one but two objectives: he is keeping them busy, and he is using his "powers" to assimilate and integrate components of both the ships – more in particular, the jets – in his armor.

**War machine Magnetic field engaging….assimilation in progress… tech assimilation complete**

"People, help here, please?" Bobbi calls at voice, as everyone is falling from the sky.

"I can't believe I'm saying it, but they were right, you're just a maniac!" Chris says, almost a cry, tears of rage and closed fists, as she stops to follow him and makes a quick manoeuvre, like diving to follow them and stop everyone and what is left of their 2 jets, thinking that it's mostly her fault and Tony's what's happening.

"Clint's already taking care of him – Simon calls her from behind, as he starts to fly at her side and takes Tigra and Bobbi on his back, while Chris makes levitate Miss Endo and Mr. Jacobs, both "helpers" to Rhodey, and, at the same time, accompanies a pile of debris, compressed into a giant ball fro the occasion, to the soil.

"they're talking - she says as she notices that Clint is now flying on Rhodey's back. – talking about… Ultimo? Wasn't it some kind of killer alien robot?"

"Clint put him down with Thor, back in the days" Bobbi says, looking like lost in some deep thought, as the 2 fliers fly side by side.

"As he was supposed to be – Endo says, as an holographic image appears from a bracelet – but a smart director from some agency decided it was the perfect place to implement a privatization scheme"

**Reginald "Reggie" Gunderson. Assistant Director, U.S. Agency for alien quarantine and technology. Kill Number: 132**

"What's a kill number?" Tigra says, like she really doesn't know the answer.

"It's a numeric representation generated by Rhodey's databanks of the amount of willful deaths and destruction a person has generated during his life" The Asian woman explains, as the picture of the man disappears.

"And that's how Rhodey knows who he has to take in" Tigra is like ending the sentence, like she seriously believes it, again. Because she doesn't know what's happening, not the whole story.

"It's how he knows who he has to kill – Chris coldly says, as she has been hit by this fact, by the realisation that she, indeed, helped in creating this situation – he is thinking in the most rational way, like a machine, a computer. One single death to avoid thousands of deaths."

"Great" Tigra says, as Bobbi looks at Chris, in silence, realising that she seems to agree with him.

"and it gets worse – the Asian woman keeps explaining them the situation – Ultimo's brain has been divided into 3 parts: the neural net, the memory banks and the emotional core. They gave them to different private companies for research and development, and right now, the C.E.O. of Stark Solutions is inside that jet, opening a briefcase containing Ultimo's reactivated Neural Net, and drinking it."

"The C.E.O. of… - Chris says as she hears Rhodey telling Clint the samest things, shocked and like in terror - tell me you are not sure of it… it can't be!"

"Sweetie, if you want us to believe Tony Stark is about to unleash the universe's most deathly robot monster…" Simon says, almost smirking, not buying it.

"It's not about Tony they're talking about" Chris tries to explain, still terrorized by the plague the events are taking.

"Chris, Stark Solutions has just two CEOs, you and Tony, and since you are here, according to their data, it has to be Tony the one who's…"

"You are one of the CEOs of Stark Solutions?"

"Have you ever heard about newspapers, Miss Endo? I'm Christine Stark, Tony's my brother – she tries to sound wounded - We gave up. We were forced to sell everything after the invasion. During his reign of SHIELD, Tony used governmental founds to rebuilt few Stark properties. In order to pay our debts, we had to sell out everything."

"Tony's no longer CEO? But we thought he was the one we were after!"

"No, it's not Tony, it's…"

As she says so, she and Simon leave them on the soil, and, once heard an explosion, fly in direction of what's remaining of the plane, remaining for just half, what's now under Jim's care.

"What the hell is going on?" Clint, now on the soil with the group, is looking at a man who can only be Tony, who, reached the spoil, starts to release from a wound on his chest some kind of liquid metal that soon envelopes him completely, integrating even everything metallic and electronic around themselves…

"I think we're seeing an Ultimo coming to life - Endo tries to explain. – but if we're lucky, our men are already destroying the emotional core and the data… - she pauses as she listens to a message in her inter-com and hears Ultimo screaming in agony, with Tony voice, something that destroy both Chris and Rhodey – banks. Beth and Jake destroyed their parts, but we're not clear yet."

**"Suzi, Tony is still there. my armor absorb tech, I can try to extract the neural net without hurting him."**

"there are no good possibilities of doing it, Rhodey, besides, you're made mostly of metal and if he touches you…"

As they are talking about it, Ultimo finally absorbs the last part of metal in sight for miles, and, like there was nothing at all, flies away, followed by Jim.

"**no more, Tony! We've taken out the other parts of Ultimo's brain, now you have to fight what's inside of you! I know you can do it!" **

"Stop to call him Tony! That thing isn't my brother!" she cries in rage, like one of the mythical banshee of the legends, her eyes shining and blazing like in a violet fire, as she joins at maximum speed Jim

**"Chris, I know Tony, I think we could try to reach him and…"**

"Oh, poor Rhodey – Ultimo says laughing with all his energy – oh, no, no, no… the little mutant bastard is right… you're not talking to Tony – he pauses, showing an evilly smile of satisfaction – you're talking to Morgan."

"Morgan? Is that what Tony's sister was trying to tell us?" Suzi says through the comm.

**"Morgan Stark. Tony and Christine Stark's cousin. A jealous conniver who tried to steal his cousins' fortune multiple times through hijinks with well known criminals. **

"Oh, please. The plural? Christine's not my cousin, she is not even a real Stark…. You and I, Rhodey, are a lot alike, we're always been second stringers, especially to Tony. He had the glory, and we got the scrap of his glory he remembered to toss us. But that girl? – he grins, as he hits Jim with heat-vision - that girl's not worthy my time… when the bitch won the Nobel, nobody knew her, she was just "Tony Stark's little adopted sister". Maybe I'm not smarter than Tony, but, as sure as hell, I'm better than that damn freak."

**"We're here to help, Morgan. Let us."**

"Maybe you are , Jim, but, you see, Morgan and I - she says as, still in the air, flies as quicker as she can in Morgan's direction, hitting "it" with a punch, amplified thousands of times by her telekinesis – have never been in touch! – as she lands on the soil, falling on her knees, scratches on her face, she keeps looking at him, rabid eyes, as she concentrates her telekinetic powers to try to contain him, or to try to send him away, not knowing exactly what could be better. – if it hurt, I want you to know that it was because you dared to call me freak… next time, I'd suggest a mirror first, "cousin" dear".

"With Ultimo's mind connected with myself, I could have been special. I was going to be smart… well, I'm already smart, but smarter than him… I wanted to think like Ultimo, you know? But there's a problem. I'm not thinking like him – he grins, as, bigger than the plane, he keeps firing at Rhodey with heat-vision – I didn't acquire his processing abilities, but also his programming…. I've become him – he grins, laughing like an evil creature – I'm him. He wanted to destroy every single living creature he encountered, but, man, he was so limited…"

"What do you say about punches?" Wonder-man hits him in the back of his head, causing the solid metal to loose consistence for just mere seconds, buying them just few instants to continuing the evacuate.

"Oh, it was Ultimo's Mo, too, but, can you image how long it can take to kill manually every single creature of the planet? So, I've developed a brand new plan for him… us, I mean….and I've brought it almost to the point of execution…."

**"Not today, not until I'm here" **as Rhodey says so, he hits Ultimo in the same way the "robot" did before, trespassing him.

"look, look, look…. Looks like you already know how to make Summers envious, Jim... – she pauses, grinning, a she contains Ultimo behind a shield - didn't know you had this asset."

"Oh, please, Christine dear… you and your talking… although I've to admit that your combined efforts are quite impressive. Futile and unnecessary, but still impressive – he says, without smirking, a sad expression and a sad tone as well, as Morgan's body starts to emerge from the metal, offering Jim his hands – I'm a jerk, not am killer, Jim. And now, thanks to you, you've taken out not only the reflexes… but the brutal killing spirit as well."

**"I'm glad you understood our point, Morgan – **he says taking the hand and helping him out the metal – **now come out of there."**

"_Jim, I'm not sure it's a good idea. He is a viper, who knows…_ she tells him through her cyber-telepathy, like it was not a mental projection, but a radio transmission.

"You know, without that part of him, I'm unable to pull the trigger – he says, smirking, as liquid metal starts to leaves his body just to take over Jim's one, removing almost the entire system net and bringing it to the new its owner – so I guess I'll have to take it from you."

_Told you it was a bad idea and that you didn't have to trust him, but, do we really want to listen to Christine? Oh, no, she can just calculate thousands of scenarios pro seconds, who cares what she says!_

**Armor compromised. Neural net reached.**

"Goodbye, people!"

**Ultimo construct self- destructing**

"**What the…** - Jim says as, as naked as a cyborg can be, still in the air, parts of metal tissue on him, looks at the exploding and laughing creature that just choose self-destruction for some unknown reason – **Morgan!"**

_Miss Endo? Can you read me? -_ Chris says as, far from the explosion, projected who knows where from the blast of energy, tries to contact someone, just to have the confirmation she isn't mad, as she skims over the black gem of what looks like a middle-age bracelet, but is, instead, an only piece of high technology, making it shine in red light as her eyes do in the same instant.-_please, tell me I'm hearing it wrong… Ultimo didn't reach the emotional core of Rhodey, did he?_

_**Your attention. I'm ultimo, an AI programmed to eradicate all the existence on Earth. I've generated a process that will convert any vegetation into living metal. Within 2 weeks, the process will have spread over the entire planet. Without the photosynthesis, the oxygen cycle will cease and you'll suffocate. Of course, what will be left of you, because the majority of the population will starve to death as the food chain collapses. Who know, maybe you'll impale yourself and bleed to death. It doesn't matter how you die. Actually, I don't care at all, what I care about is that you'll finally be dead.**_

_Please, tell me my cousin isn't possessing Jim…. "_Bloody…. – she says as she joins Jim in front of an elder couple, who's going to be "assimilated" by the technologic vegetation, just before a wave of liquid metal could bring them down, stopped by Rhodey's flame-thrower and Chris' telekinetic purple shield – I'd not be so sure of myself in you, cousin"

"**This bought you few minutes, folks, but I'd run away from the grass…" **once done, he immediately runs away again, up in the sky, followed by Chris at maximum speed.

"Jim, where the hell do you think you are going? You can't stop him alone! Jim! – she cries in the air and in the net, as she tries to reach him – Jim, stop, there he is again…. Hell…"

**Last thing: before you die, you have to know why I'm doing this, why I have to. Jim Rhodes, War Machine, hoping to stop me, destroyed my memory databanks and my emotional core. In order to survive and accomplish my mission, I had to borrow his. I've become part of him, I've seen everything he has** **–** Morgan-Ultimo continues, as he let himself be seen on the net, TVs, and heard by radio – **I'm going to show you.** **–** as he says that, he shows them all the images recorded into Jim's mind, all the bad the world could offer: homicides, abandons, rapes, genocides, hate crimes, racism, natural disasters, incest, abuses, tortures… - **this is what you people have done with your life. You can't have anymore.**

_[[separate them with a missile, damn!]] "_What the… who's there?" as she hears a broadcasting communication between Hando and someone else, Chris isn't sure of what's she is listening to, or who's on the other side. She almost closes her eyes, a hand against her right temple, like to increase the concentration and the amount of power. _[[We can't do that, we'd kill them both, I'm not going to…]] [[well, you know what? That's something I'm good at!]] _as she hears the last part of the conversation, she is illuminated, and can't believe she wasn't even able to add 2 and 2 together… but, maybe, what enlightens her the most is the energy wave that sends her on the dead grass, in pieces, once the propulsion ray had got enough energy to hit Jim and hit him hard, and, without considering who's out of the game – Tony and Pepper – there's just one other person on the planet with that fire-power…

_Osborn, idiot, you're just going to kill them both! How can you be so blind that you don't get it?_

**"Oh, please, C'mon, Miss Stark… I can be crazy, and maybe even evil… but stupid? You and Rhodes hurt my feelings!"**

**"as long as I was connected with him, I could still negotiate with him. I could talk him out of this!"**

**"First, Ultimo's an IT, not a HIM, jackass – as** they keep fighting Not so distant from the land, Rhodey starts "assimilating" all the technology and the mechanic present around them, including cars, trucks and bulldozers –** second, if you think you can negotiate with someone who has as objective "destroying all life on the planet", you're crazier than me." **

"Oh, c'mon "Normy dear" – Chris says hitting him from the back, as he was going to do with Rhodes, with a telekinetic blast of pure energy, as solid as it was a giant bullet, while Jim hits him on the face with a part of a bulldozer – you don't think you can call my cousin an "it" and go away, right? Morgan is a bastard – she says as she keeps him on the soil, the strong pressure of the telekinetic force-field that causes her to sweat and bleed – but is my bastard. Besides, I think you've been around us long enough to understand that sometimes machines are people, too" she ends the sentence, grinning, while still suffering for the pressure and how hard he is fighting to come back on his legs.

**"You, Osborn… on the other side…" iron patriot system control offline. Breach of iron patriot helmet.**

_Looks like it's finally time we serve that plate of "Justice is better served hot", isn't it?_ As she mentally says so to Osborn, standing in front of him, a grin of satisfaction, Chris manifests on her right arm a blade of purple-violet light, as solid as it was true: a psy-sword, her psy-sword. _With this one, I can't miss your brain. And, believe me, a psyco-cynetic lobotomy is worse than a physical one. There's no turning back with what I'm going to do with you. _

"Here it comes your window of opportunity, my children… - he says as he faces them, especially her, who seems to prevaricate, as she has tears in her almost closed black eyes, tight teeth, as he, grinning, smirking, an evil expression, a victorious expression on, keeps looking at her in the eyes, while still on the soil, like knowing her too well **iron patriot system control back on-line – And here it goes. You could have killed me, the both of you. But our little Christine, although tries her best to look like the toughest girl on Earth, is too innocent and sweet to commit murder so easily… she even considers all human life too precious, to be able to kill someone, even meme, and you, Rhodes… you run the numbers, studied my history, and you've found out that, every single time I've killed…. I was either temporary and certifiably insane…"**

**Norman Osborn, alias the Iron Patriot, Alias the Green Goblin. Killer of Gwen Stacy**

**"Or I was serving my country. It must be rough to find out that the person you hate the most in the world is actually the best protection the world can have."**

**Killer of the Skrull queen Veranke and of Terry Kidder. Kill number: 67. Termination Unauthorized.**

"The best protector this world can has? – she shouts at high voice, her eyes as red as flames, already few inches from the soil, a rabid grin in place of her features, as she blasts him mentally, sending him against the metal forest - let's see how sweet and innocent I can get around you, Osborn!"

**"Black, enough of this! I'm not going to let you do this! And for what concerns your theory….it's really interesting how high you think of yourself!"** as he ends the sentence, Jim focuses on his newfound optic blast and hits Osborn, again and again, while his "enemy" keeps coming back for more.

**"Oh, please, you two… you're not eve…." **As he says so, even unable to end his sentence, someone hits him again, again at the back, making his "comeback" on his feet hard.

"Maybe they're too sweet for you, but we aren't."

**"I see that you finally get to use your emp arrow, Clint."**

**Clint Francis Barton, formerly known as Hawkeye, currently as Ronin. Simon Williams, alias Wonder-Man **

"And you should see the vibranium one… although I think you'll soon do. – as he says so, Clint, once again on the soil after a ride on Simon's back, points his arch at the armoured former criminal on the soil – he ruined hundreds of lives, he is worse than the men you gave to the bears last year. We'll say he was possessed by Ultimo, no one will ever known…"

"Wait, Clint" as she, still standing, says so, Clint's reached by Jim, who takes his bow and arrow.

**"Listen to her and be patient…. Since it seems it's going to happen for real."**

"that bastard son of a motherfucker! Ultimo's reforming! – Chris says mad, trying to shield at least them from the liquid wave – he wants to explode to send spores past the flames barricade!"

**"Simon, you and Clint can expand the evacuation radius up to 3 miles"**

"No orders for me, boss?" Chris says grinning, still facing Osborn.

"You should watch that piece of trash and do something about it, princess"

"Don't tempt me, Clint."

**"read my mind, sweetheart. I've got an idea."**

**As he says so, Chris just smirks.**

**"I'm dying to kill you all, you know that, right? –**Osborn closes firmly his teeth, like he was some kind of rabid animal - **once my armor will be fully charged again I'll… **- as he says so, even unable to end the sentence, as he previously did with other machines, Jim incorporates the Iron Patriot armor into his one, letting it firing and blasting at what used to be Morgan, and, meanwhile, Chris goes at his back, hands on his temples, eyes shining of fire and starlight –** in case you were wondering, you're not gonna get a presidential pardon for this!"**

"_Rhodey – _Susie says at the comm.-link – you're not going to hurt or even neutralize ultimo this way. It turned liquid and.."

_Who said anything about destructing Ultimo's physical self? Rhodey's gonna do what he started, sweetie._

"nnnngg….ahhhhhh!" Rhodes screams as in agony, when he enters in physical contact with Ultimo, as Chris tightens her teeth to avoid to do the same, still connected to him.

**"what the hell are you doing?"**

"Rhodes is… bonding …with… Ultimo neural… net" she says, uneasy, not daring to use her telepathy for a different use of what she doing right now.

**"You remember that the first time he did it, Ultimo had been set off?"**

"That's why… I'm amplifying… Rhodes' connection to… him… so Ultimo could get… what we want him to see… and we think that… once seen the… whole picture….- as she says so, her eyes shines more, and, from Jim's mind through her own to Ultimo's neural net, she sees faces. Moments. Memory. Hopes. All coming from Jim's mind – everyone… he saved. Everyone …who saved him. Everyone he loved and who loved him." so many faces. Faces she knows. Faces she used to know. Faces she used to trust. _Tony. Clint. Tasha. Bobbi. Happy and Pepper…_ as she sees these faces – the faces she used to know in her "old life", a single tears, silent, escapes her eyes, making her loose for less than a millisecond concentration.

"people…what a show you gave me.- Morgan's face leaves, in part, the molecular structure of Ultimo, as Chris keeps looking around herself with Jim's eyes, with a smile – but I wanted to tell you that it was useless. Ultimo saw the tragic stories behind all the pretty pictures you just showed us. Your memories aren't going to convince him of anything. Besides- he continues, as his smile turns into what looks more like a maniac laughter – my dear "cousin" here lost concentration, while helping you. It was less than a millisecond, but, girl, let me tell you this, your life was tragic! Can't believe you went through that much evil in your time… I mean, you survived a genocide! What's better than this to convince Ultimo to destroy us all?" as eh says so, still grinning, he comes back to where he was before, the "brain" of the alien robot.

"Bloody bastard I can't believe that he won at my own game! I can't believe that with Morgan at his side he could be that powerful! I even didn't see it coming!"

**"I think I told you it was bullshit. Now, what's your plan? Sending him a hallmark card?"**

"Hey, your new plan is even more interesting that the other one. I mean, if we're lucky enough, we'll not even have to…- she says grinning.- I can't interface directly to Ultimo, and, besides, as Morgan put it, I went through too much of hell; it means that the only one in close proximity to our friendly neighbourhood alien robot who could interface with it… it's you!- as she says so, both Rhodey with his "magnetic abilities" and Chris with her telekinesis throw him against the neural net – please, why did you think I was sparing your life? I'm not that nice of a person, you know?"

"Wait, no, you can seriously think to put me inside that thing! – Norman, helmet off, shouts at them, as Ultimo starts to interface with the red-haired middle-age man – it's ridiculous, you know me, Stark! You and your friend can't really want to let that thing inside my head!"

"Thought you liked being planet's last hope, Normie…" she grins again, satisfied, whishing everyone on the planet to see this going on. Too bad she can't broadcast it right now.

"Well, pardon me, but I thought that being planet's last hope meant blowing everything up!"

"I don't like to do it, Osborn, and I even like less the fact that you're the one who's getting the job done – Chris says as she does what she did before with Rhodes – but you are a human being. It means, that, very, very deep down, you've been human at heart, once. I want you to remember that moment, and I want you to show Ultimo how it was, how it felt. And be thankful that I prefer to save the world than killing you by making your brain forget how to breath" _that'd be nice, _she thinks between herself, _since it's how Tony's dying. It'd be appropriate, a good comeback._

"Dammit… all right, all right" as he says so, he closes his eyes like to concentrate better, and he looks inside himself, in search of something, and, finally he finds it, he finds it and she shows it to Ultimo, making it feeling the sensation thousands times more… an hospital bed. A young and beautiful woman. The sensation of having your baby in your arms for the very first time. The baby you wanted, you desired, the smile on your face, the tears in your eyes.

"You old softie… can't believe you really did it… it's a clean state, it's rebooting, overwriting its original programming… and it's releasing Morgan!"

"Yeah, and I'd like to not let Tony know of it… you're not going to tell him, Chris, right? You know that deep down I've always loved you and…"

"Stark, why don't you make us all a favour and shout up? –Norman tells him, grinning, a maniac light in his eyes, laughing like it was the Green Goblin to do it, as he blasts out of his way both Chris, still at his back, and Jim, sending them to the soil, and, slowly, makes his way towards the freshly-generated sphere of liquid metal, what remains of Ultimo - and now, it's time for Ultimo to come to Daddy… and for me to check "making the planet's greatest alien weapon worship me like a god" off of my to-do-list… - Osborn pauses, as he puts back his iron patriot helmet, his voice mechanical again – **along with "kill James Rhodes" and "take care of Christine Stark"…"**

As Morgan, first time in his life, his helping his cousin Christine "Chris" Antoinette Stark-Johnson, codenamed Blackdragon, to stand on her own, while Endo and Dr. Sandoval try to se if there's something wrong with Rhodes, Chris knows too well that, under that mask, he is grinning like a maniac, having maybe the same laughter that he had when he was the Green Goblin.

"Rhodey, can you hear me?" "Rhodey!"

"He is having a…. ischemic stroke. The system's gone to hypo-perfusion, the blackout's to blame.-Chris' eyes turn red as, once on her feet, turns herself between Osborn and Rhodey on the soil, keeping doing this same very action, a serious expression on her features – guess I had to kill you when I had my "open window", then." As she says so, a brunch of HAMMER soldiers come to them, pointing guns and everything else, as, annoyed and mad, she finds herself divided between the possibility of 1)fighting them – which could lead to her winning or her dying , or 2)surround herself and hoping in mercy for her and the others; and, as he keeps grinning under that helmet, Chris, worlds' greatest feminine mind, decides for the second one, as she, closed eyes, lifts her hands.

"Good Choice, dr. Stark – he keeps grinning – relax, I'm not gonna kill your former body-guard. I could let him die, but I don't want to. Well, at least until I've duplicated that machine interface of his. Ice him… and arrest the girl."

"Osborn, I'd like to tell you two things: arresting an intelligence agent of a friend country, supported by the Government of the country she is resident in, you're violating… well, many things. I know, technically I had to be in England to avoid capture, but I'm pretty sure that there's something I can rely on to avoid arrest even here, and, second… the stroke simulation is terminated, which means that the dismantling and re-assembling process of your precious armoured transport and the weaponry of your funny little soldiers can begin- her hands still up in the sky, Chris grins, maliciously, as, her eyes shining again, she send son the floor the agents who were trying to arrest her, while Rhodey transform into a bigger and more lethal version of himself – I'd run in you, Normie dear, if you whish to not be assimilated and remain alive."

"**you seriously think that, Stark? That your friend here** **–** he says still laughing like the maniac he is – **could assimilate me?" **he keeps repeating it, along with "nobody can assimilate the Iron Patriot" as he fires at Jim with everything he has.

"But I'm pretty sure we can hit you. Jim with the brute force of the physique, and me – Chris says as, in the same instant, Jim hits Osborn in the chest and she does the same, in the very same point, with a solid construct of kinetic energy – with one of my trick! Whoa, not that bad at all… and it felt so damn right! I think that I'll quit analysis for a while…"

"**Now we just have to free the baby… I hope that Suzi will be able to teach him the difference between right and wrong, away from Osborn…so that he'll not have neither one nor two lethal weapons today."**

"I told you he was just on up-and up saving the world, I told you!"

Clint Grins, happy and satisfied; deep down, he seems more happy about the fact that he was right, that the fact that he was right about his friend.

"You should have told us form the beginning, Rhodey"

**"you red my mind"**

"Yeah, well, but, using the words of Wisdom, after we got "our collective asses kicked". Like you don't know – she smiles evilly – how I hate ruined costumes"

**"Glad that you are all happy, then, and I hope you'll be too, after I'd told what I'm really up to. I need you to evacuate the civilians out of the way, and then, whoever's up for it, can help the rest of my team to finish the real job."**

"The real job? What hell is about the real job? I thought that your job was to avoid Ultimo from rising again from his ashes…- Clint and Bobbi turn to look at her, him surprised, her laughing a little, while the mutant is simply annoyed – hey, I haven't gone through his whole mind!"

**"You stay out of this" **Rhodey states, facing her with his red orbs.

"Rhodey, I don't like being ordered around, especially now, besides I could always help you. Osborn will soon be back, and if I can hack into his system, I can try to shout it down and if I'm lucky enough, place a old nice Trojan so that his entire net would end in…"

**"no –**he states again, closer to her, the most serious look she has ever seen on him - **that's the reason Tony send you away Chris. It wasn't about protecting yourself. You can take care of yourself pretty good, when you want. This is about protecting the entire super-hero community of the world. Do you really believe that, if he knew that you are in danger, on some kind of life-or-death situation, Tony wouldn't come back to get you at any cost? Damn you, Chris! If Osborn will gain access to you, it will be like him having access to the SHRA databank! That's the reason you should not have come back and come closer to a wanted man!"**

_(later)_

"Good way to cover everybody's escape, but what he thinks he will do to save his own can?" 32 minutes later, the Iron Patriot armour is finally full of juice again, and Osborn is hitting Rhodey, and bad. He is hitting him so bad that he can't even re-assemble himself.

"He is out of tricks, Morgan- Parnell says in front of the black-dressed Starks – Osborn's jamming the pulse range of the magno-lock. It will take him 3 hours to field a new range so that he could start re-assimilating more tech"

"It's insensate! It's… it's a suicide! I'm not gonna stay here while Osborn's killing him!-Chris says, tears in her eyes, ready to flight away in direction of her friend. – it's the least I can do for him!" it's not only that she owns him big time, it's that she feels guilty, and she hates it. She hates feeling guilty for having saved his life in Santo Marco. She hates herself because she is the one to blame for his transformation. She is the one to blame for what's happening today.

**"Chris, no, he can't put his hands on you, he'll use you to reach Tony and the SHRA databank. I can't let you do this… and I cant let you call Bet, Glenda. I'm sorry, but there's not going to be another day. I'm a soldier, doing his job… and you'll follow my orders."**

_San Francisco, later that night_

Chris walks inside what used to be Pete's old private hideout-apartment when he led X-Force, keeping looking at the TV screen, like hoping to see something that could help her feel better, like the fact that her brother is still alive somewhere out there, that Osborn is no more a problem, that her parents' killer is really dead, or maybe she whish she could see a frame on same news of a girl that resembles her but is older… her sister. Alive but who knows where. Or dead. Killed by the vampires, maybe (they still said she was the last one of her kind, didn't they?)… everything to feel better, after what happened today. She failed Rhodey, she failed the Avengers (and Clint dared to ask hr why she wasn't going to follow them). It0s dark inside. Inside herself_. Ultimo was right,_ she starts to think, there's nothing right in this bloody world_._ And one of her best friends got arrested for this. And, probably, will be death on few hours.

"I'm impressed. You almost took me off-guard- she leaves the sofa where she was watching the news and stands, turning to look at the man and the 3 girls who just entered in her apartment, hoping to not let her know it. – so, what's Scott Summers doing here?" she says, a little annoyed, cold, at crossed arms.

"I could ask you the same, Chris – he grins, going to see at the round table in the room, making himself at home, since he even dares to show her the seat she should take at his side – after all, you are in San Francisco, holy city of mutankind. When the cuckoos told me you were here, I supposed you were back"

"I just stopped by. I couldn't fly to London in the shape I was, I'm here just to rest. If I'd be back – she talks, asking herself why she feels the sudden urge to explain herself to Summers – I'd be at the headquarter."

"I don't think you should be there with us" he coldly tells her, but with a shadow that looks too much like a grin printed on his lips.

"So – she almost laughs – you're here to tell me that I'm no longer allowed around the X-men? That's fun, Summers, really. I'm so flattered that I don't know what to say"

But Scott, putting on the table a white box he had with himself shows right on her face a bracelet first, keeping it in his right hand, and, then, reveals the content of said box.

"You're not going to be at the headquarter because the reason I'm here it's because I want you in my X-Force. I need you to save our future."

* * *

You know me, so you know I'm here waiting for you to R&R... and next time.... chasing Bishop!


	30. XForce and Cable: Messiah War part 1

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert: **X-Force 11-13, Messiah War One-shot **

* * *

****_EPISODE 28:MESSIAH WAR (PART ONE) _**

_San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island, underground…._

"Something else has come up…. Cable – Scott pauses for few, interminable seconds, as he speaks to his black-ops team, knowing too well that his hands are as dirty as their ones, if not much more, being him the one who actually calls the shots, although he is still almost unable to say the word "kill" – we're close to find him and the baby. When we'll do, I'll send you in to help him. There's a time-device for each one of you. You'll have 33 hours to complete the mission, then you'll automatically come back"

As he says those words, he opens the bag, and shows to everyone what's inside, a small piece of technology, that looks like a stone, a small, circular jewel, putting it in sight, under the slight lights of the neon of Alcatraz's underground.

"Why, Scott? We should come back once done the mission, without even considering the time factor. What if we don't accomplish it in 33 hours?"

"Because they're simply prototypes put together in a way too short time, and we do everything we can to try to … alleviate the side effects. - X-force turns their heads in direction of the feminine voice they just heard speaking; everyone is surprised to listen to someone else, everyone but Cyclops, since he is well aware of what's happening and who's coming. Logan and Laura sniff the air at the same time, to make sure that who's coming is really who was speaking before, and, as soon as they hear the noise of the heels on the concrete, they know it's really her, and Logan looks suspicious at his boss – but I didn't work on them, so I can't guarantee anything" in front of them at crossed arms, stands now Christine "Blackdragon" Stark-Johnson, wearing ALMOST the same X-Force uniform as Laura and Rahne do, with a top, instead of a t-shirt, that leaves uncovered her back, showing the tattooed medieval and stylized black dragon that covers entirely that part of her body, with a small domino mask on, used to cover a pair of unnatural red eyes, and an hair-band. As she still speaks, smirking, Scott hands her a device, which she immediately puts on her right fingerless opera-glove, taking the word.

"I think that everyone who's used to watch TV knows who Christine Johnson – Stark, alias Lady Blackdragon, is. – he pauses, underlining for the very first time in history her full code-name, something even her she has never bothered to do - Everyone goes, puts the device on and be ready, once we find Nate, I'll send you in, and there won't be much time – he pauses, as he see Logan's look, and how Logan looks at him and her – she is a telepath and an expert in technology. Nate could need her help."

As everyone is gone, just the 3 of them remain in place, where they stood before, and, as Logan keeps looking severely into Scott's eyes, silently, Chris stands at crossed arms, leaning against a wall, looking in front of her and not at them.

"I can assure you, Logan, that the feeling is mutual, but it's not the point – as Logan turns his look from Scott to her, he knows where she is going with this speech, what she means, and looks at her, coming closer to them, a hand on her right hip – Scott doesn't trust me to be around him, and the feeling is mutual, and he knows that I'm not loyal neither to him nor to Charles, nor even to my very family, but I'll never, for any reason, betray the cause. That's the only thing I'm loyal to. Myself… and the cause. – she pauses again – I've seen too much of us dead, Logan. I'll do whatever it takes to save this baby… and our people."

"She is not the kind of person who gets dirty, Slim. She is not even close to be one of us. She is too much on the side of the angels to be one of us. – he turns again towards her, pausing for a second; Logan knows people, he knows how their minds work, what they could think – sweetie, killing Skrulls during an invasion and enjoying it is a thing, being a cold-blood killer, on the other hand…" he doesn't even end the sentence, as their faces come to be just inches apart, both full of proud, arrogance and rage.

"You don't know a damn about me, Logan. You don't know what I'm capable of, what…" she says, crossed arms, facing him, cold eyes.

"It's Scott's call, not my own. He assembled the team, I lead the team. If he wants you in, fine. But, sweetie, in you, I'd be careful with what you wish for..." he says as he leaves, ready to join Vanisher, turning, giving them his back, without even gave them a second look. His voice, his words, are cold as his eyes are.

"He knows you, and he doesn't want to see your hands get dirty, or make a mistake you'll eventually regrets, he trusts you, Chris, but he thinks that there are places better suited for you. He told me the same things about Rahne – as she turns in the other direction, going opposite to Logan, she feels a weird feeling, while Scott tries to reassure her about Logan's previous behaviour, and, to avoid to look him in the face, to see how mad she is for being rejected this way by one of her owns, she does what Howlett did previously: goes away giving him her back- he asked you to stay with the Avengers. You have to remember that you've been the one to refuse.."

She turns, stone cold and icy, proud and steady, hands now in the pockets of the jacket she wears on the uniform. "I don't need any explanation, Cyclops – she says, calling him by his "battle name", just to underline that she is cool with what she is going to do and she understands it- I already know everything. I always know everything."

_New York City, the present._

"This is criminal! – the man known as Vanisher yells at his supposed "team-mates", once he let them appear on the roof of a 1800 building, teleported from their previous location, one of X-Force's secret hideout – this is way worse than anything I've done in my life!" he yells at them, keeping doing it, referring to the fact that one of the members implanted a cancer in his head in order to keep him among the ranks. As Warpath takes him for his collar and lifts him from the soil, a look of hate appears on the face of the Apache. "You sold drugs to kids, jackass" although he tries to be rude, it has to be said that James Proudstar isn't exactly good at it, with his good soul; as, covered with a small domino mask, unarmed, differently from Domino, Chris looks, cold and reflecting, at her temporary team-mates, there are 2 things that the scientist asks herself: one, what people like Foley – just a kid, who lived an almost normal life, differently from X-23- and James, who looks more like someone who should be something like an artist than a warrior, are doling there, among their ranks, the ranks of, like Logan had been extremely clear about, the devils, and what happened to Warren. She hadn't seen it yet, or noticed, to be more accurate; the X-Man she has met years before is gone, and she isn't thinking about the fact that, suddenly, he changed into the blue-skinned and metal winged Archangel, something she didn't know he was capable of, but to the fact that Warren, the womanizer always happy and ready to have fun, second just to the "old" Bobby Drake to that, seems gone…Warren seems to be so mature, serious, and, somehow… cold and distant.

"They loved it! I gave them what they wanted! I didn't ask for it!"

"If I could lobotomize his frontal hemisphere, we could always use him like he was some kind of… I dunno, a zombie, or something like that. He'd be still resourceful. And he'd not talk" Chris says, smirking evilly, crossed arms, while inches from his terrorized face; one of the worst criminal they've fought, and all he can thinks about is fining someone who'll accept to hide him behind its back.

"Shout up, all of you – Logan says, closing the topic, as he puts his hand on his comm.-device – Scott says we've to hurry up. Takes the children, move on with the plan, switch to priority one"

As her eyes become redder and redder, Chris, like to concentrate more her thoughts, tightens them, as a tear of some kind of liquid fills them, revealing that what was making the black eyes she used to be proud of so red was, in fact, a pair of contacts, an improved version of Sage's techno-sunglasses developed to work specifically on her new technologic powers, and that, right now, are allowing her, thanks to a streaming transmission of data arriving directly to her brain through her ocular nerves, to "receive" in her own mind Cyclops's (and everyone else's) messages.

"May I ask what happens if the system goes on as we're still inside and the mission hasn't been accomplished yet?" she says, knowing she is doing a mistake as soon as she opens her mouth, seeing Logan's feral eyes on her.

"I was talking to you too when I asked you to keep silence. – he says, as he turns to look at the skyline to talk again with Summers – I know we're speaking about the future of mutants here, Summers, but, until the kids are safe, we're not leaving."

"Who are we talking about, here?- Josh asks, unsure first, even frightened, just to move to a better and more resolute tone when no one answers him- Wolverine, who are we talking about?"

"Summer's out." He says, as to answer to his question, like to try to let them believe that he doesn't know anything about it. Anything more, at least. Just what he is telling them.

"You stay with Foley and Vanisher, keep an eye on them" he says as he starts to move, followed by X and Jim and preceded by Domino and Warren.

"I want to come, Logan" the young mutant with the golden skin says, trying to stop him. Chris just looks at him, cold, trying to mask the fact that she is biting her lips.

"Your powers aren't effectively offensive, and I don't rust Vanisher. And you…- he says as he looks for the last time at her- you are here because we need our own Cerebra right now. We'll need you alive and I want you to stay that way as long as you'll needed. Besides – he says with a mean smile and his right claws out, pointed at the former criminal –I need someone who could turn the bastard off, just in case."

"Why aren't you letting me in? I want to be part of it! My powers can be offensive! Look at what I did to Vanisher! I could do the same to the others! I could do it quicker!"

"They've got Boom-Boom, Keller and Surge. They've got your friends, and you are not able to face it. If I let you in, once you'll see them, bad things will happen to you, and to keep you safe, I'll have to let somebody else die. Maybe your friends." As he says so, Foley makes a step toward Vanisher and Blackdragon, sad and with an expression that seems to tell that he got the message loud and clear, and, at the same time, as the young man keeps shivering, they get in, and it takes them just minutes to end the battle, and, even before a single enemy could talk, everyone has been slaughtered or reduced to a damn silence, and, received the signal from Logan, the 3 remaining members of the team, previously left off from the battle, appears like from nowhere, inside the building, among the bodies of the deaths and of the unconscious ones.

"I thought I told you to stay back" he says, cold again.

"you told me to watch over them, not to not let them in – she pauses, trying to use a strain of sarcasm – besides, it's not like I can force them to do as I wish."

"You can" he says, just looking at her, standing.

"Yes, true – she crosses her arms, serious again – but I don't like to. Not with Foley, at least. He is a good kid. To Vanisher, I'd do even worse than forcing him to do something I want"

"I've got their scents. Tabitha is still here, I can find her!" as she says the words, X is already out, running, like running for her life, and, as soon as the words are over, Chris and Jim destroy a door, seeing the 2 occupants of the empty room: the Leaper Queen and, on her knee on the soil, Tabitha, who's going to be inoculated by some kind of serum. A serum they already know of, a serum that will affect her powers, letting her explode, destroying something, letting the mutants to be blamed for still another act of terrorism.

"Damn… -Blackdragon says as Domino is already pointing at the crazy woman – Logan, Cyclops says they found Cable. Time's over…"

"We're not going to walk away from them. We'll take her down" he says, closing his mouth so deeply that the words looks like a hiss.

"Logan, it's automatic, and I can't try to re-program it. According to Scott, saving the future of the mutant race is more important than saving 3 mutants" she looks almost traumatized by the realisation that Summers doesn't give a damn about his men. But is it really that strange that he wants to save his only son? Wasn't it, still, what her parents did that fatal night? Saving their daughters and letting the monster kill them?

"Vanisher…" he simply says, and, as Logan says the words, the man appears at the back of the criminal, avoiding her to kill another innocent, putting her down, on the soil, moving like an animal in a trap, while Chris knees not so distant from her, determined, but scared at the same time, scared of what she'll see in her mind, of how it will look like… the mind of a crazy, sick and un-dead person. Can she even read it? Yes. Yes, she knows she can. Not only she has to believe in it to let her magic works –since, like all psyonic powers, even her ones are related to her self-determination – but, still, she knows this woman has been resurrected with the aid of some sort of technological virus, making her, in part, a machine: something she can always trust on.

"They want to let them release all their potential at the United Nations, so that we could be… - she pauses, terrorised and frightened, but not by what will happen at the United Nations, but by the fact that now she knows that'll never be able to avoid it – The device had been turned on, Logan! We're…."

_New York City, a second later, in 2973._

As soon as Scott and McCoy hit the button in San Francisco, X-Force is teleported away, not thanks to Vanisher's gift, but to the time-travel devices, and, as soon as they land on the devastated land, destroyed and fuming ruins all around them, Elixir starts screaming hysterically, tears in his eyes, as he removes the devise from his arm, his team-mate looking at him with the same feeling in their hearts, knowing too well that Summer just probably doomed the kids and who knows how many humans to death.

"She is going to kill them all! I'm taking this thing off, I'm going… back…" the young boy falls on his knee, stunned, unable to goes on, realising that what was supposed to happen didn't happen at all. He was supposed to come back, once removed the damn thing, but he is still there. And his friends are still in the Leaper Queen's hands. And the only thing he can do is crying, and look at his fist against the radioactive soil of the bare land.

" Calm down, Foley, and put that damn thing back on!"

"That's not good…He shouldn't be still here. Scott says the devices were the only things that were able to let us stay here.. – Warren shouts while looking around, in the sky, over their head – anyone knows what's up with the sky?"

"Scott's not Einstein, I'm not either, they didn't took time to study them properly and I have been caught off the realisation process – she looks at James and Warren, open arms, like is trying to defend herself, but trying to use a taste of her British humour. Nearly 25 years in the States, and she still has it… -just because I can talk to any kind of device and I'm a genius, it doesn't mean everything!"

"I thought you were perfect" Dom asks her joking a little, while looking at X.

"I'm still working on it, and the only thing I can say for now, is that the devices can't work. It's like something is blocking them, looks like a sort of firewall."

"Put that damn thing back on! I'm your leader and I'm ordering you so!"

"We need to save Julian and Nori!"

"And we will, but right now we're here and we have a mission! I need recon, now!- he pauses, turning to Vanisher- I said that I need recon. Scout ahead, see where we are, what are dealing why."

"What? No cuts first, this time?"

"don't tempt us" Logan says, as almost the whole team looks at the criminal, with an enraged expression; both Logan and X's claws are in the air, aiming at his throat.

"Uhm…" he murmurs, vanishing for a second and the re-appearing again, so quickly that it was like her never went away in the first place.

"Do you seriously want us to hurt you?" Logan's voice sounds like the cry of n animal on haunt, ready to attack his prey, or an evil king whose servants have been malevolent and he ahs decided to punish them.

"I tried to go to Japan – he says, half an admission of a tempted fugue – but it's not working! I swear to God.."

"You shouldn't swear, Vanisher!" it all happens in the same instant, and it happens so quickly, that they just have the time to register it's happening at all, as Logan does what he told he was going to do to VANISHER'S throat, taken by Elixir's embrace, who, under the remnants of a wall, does his best to heal him… while someone is firing at them, shooters firing at them like they were taken in a sudden storm, a storm of bullets, a storm they are running from, trying to save their lives, hiding behind the ruins of decadents buildings.

"What do we know?" Logan asks his team.

"That, unfortunately, Porter's powers aren't the only one who aren't working. – Chris shields them a little with her telekinetic powers, but unsure, feeling the snipers are moving from a position to the other – it seems that all the powers that are somehow related to a some kind of transmission, can't work here. It's like someone is shielding specific powers to avoid… the only thing I Can say, is any kind of communication."

"Great, no telepathy. Remember me why you are here"

"telekinesis and data analysis. And technology" she states, simply, grinning.

"I can smell it. He is moving from south-southeast. it smells… - X looks around, like to concentrate her senses – it smells dead."

"Domino's always lucky, isn't she? Maybe her powers could help us a while."

"Sorry to disappoint toy, Black, but It's not like that. – Domino says as she is trying to point at who's keeping moving and firing at them - my powers don't work whenever I want them to. Have you two ever time-travel before?"

"Not that I'm aware of. But time-travel are always so… fuzzy. You can have one, but don't actually remember it happened at all."

"Me neither, But if you want my advice- Warpath says, blades in his hands, using his mountain-like body like a shield - if you keep firing up, maybe you'll end hitting the bad guy"

"Yeah, I should try…- she s going to try, as they turn once they hear a sound… the sound of a pistol getting ready to fire, pointed at her head – fudge"

"you look exactly like a girl I knew thousands of years ago!" a man fully dressed in Kevlar and fully armed is almost shouting, with a voice that seems a mix of idiocy and happiness.

"You've got to be kidding me.."

"Wade!" She screams, smiling, feeling a sudden relief.

"Deadpool? I thought he was taller…." Chris says as they leave their positions, the bullets-storm once over.

"Mmm, deluded? – He asks her taking the same position of a curios 5 years old, even the same tone- anyway, I've no idea what you are talking about… - he says taking a imperious pose – I'm the emperor of North America, and you can call me Your Majesty!"

"Wilson, I've never liked you, and I'm trying my best to not kill you _immediately. _What the hell are you doing here?" As he says so, Logan puts his claws into his brain, and the mercenary still points at Domino, like he wasn't feeling them at all.

"Ooh, Logan, I can feel you inside my head! You are a telepath now! – he pauses, giggling, happy, like singing – ooh, you're scratching my brain, thanks! A little to the left, please!"

"I hate him" Logan says as he takes back his claws, while Deadpool stops to point at Domino, who comes closer, like all the tem-members.

"Wolverine, Thunderbird 2nd! Domino! 5 others I don't know! I missed you! Where did you go? I was waiting for you! For a long time!"

"Wade, what happened to you? Where have you been?" Dom asks him

"My usual. Guns." He simply answers, arms open, like it was natural.

"Logan, how is he even alive?"

"Dom, how is Logan even still alive, after more than 100 years after his birth? – Chris states at crossed arms – it's well known Wilson has some kind of similar healing factor"

"I don't care how he survived, all I want is Cable!"

"Oh, I'm waiting for him, me too!" Wade sings again, in his giggling voice.

"And where is he?"

"Ehm, he, who, Logan, dear Friend?"

"CABLE!"

"Oh, but I don't know where he is now – he says, at loud, like he was kind of sorry – but, wait, I know where he will be! Do you have a car? Because I think he'll be at your mansion…"

"He is… he is crazy!" Chris says, looking at Domino and Warpath, while they are already walking following the man from the past.

"why, what did you think?"

"I dunno, Dom, I thought they were just… - she pauses, massaging her forehead – I thought they were exaggerating. I mean, it's not like I've already met him… I thought that, who told me he was crazy, was simply exaggerating. And it's not like every time I see some common "friends" I decide to talk about this… - she pauses, a hint of something close to disgust in her voice – this guy. I still can't believe that we're going to make something like 30 miles just walking…"

"The skies… they are getting redder and redder…"

"I think it's an energy field, more visible at night, this is why the sky is getting redder – Chris says to Domino – and this is why some kinds of powers don't work – she pauses, looking at Logan – this is probably even the reason the devices don't answer as they should. It's like we're trapped inside a bubble, like a small eco-system independent from the external one."

"Guys, look… this place… - Domino stops, like everybody else, looking at a palace – I think we're at the United Nations…"

"Wait… he's not at Westchester."

"Sorry, X?"

"Logan, he is here, I can smell him."

"Ok… X, Warren and Jimmy are with me. Dom, you baby-sit them."

"Baby-sitting a kid, a criminal, a crazy and a nerd. Just Great…"

"Great it's you baby-sitting me, Domino. I knew I had to come back to MI-13 and not pay attention to Scott. Scott means troubles…"

"MI-13? British intelligence?"

"Yes"

"you work with Wisdom! I knew the guy! I thought he was dead!"

"I Heard you can't call yourself a real hero if you don't die or pretend to be dead at least once in your life. – she pauses, sarcastic – I'm still working on that."

"Does he keep trying to get in bed with every girl he met?"

"Just mine… well, technically, now it's his. We're kind of living together."

"C'mon, people, focus on me! I have Travel Connect 4! Who's in?"

"You still believe he is not that crazy?"

"Once met him in person… he is that crazy, Dom. Even more, maybe."

As the 2 stop to talk, Proudstar approaches them, dark in his face.

"Jimmy, did you find them?" Dom asks him, worried.

"Yes, but… that's not the problem – he pauses, as he turns, like to show them the way – better if you see it with your eyes…"

* * *

You know me, so you know I'm here waiting for you to R&R... and next time.... the future is here!


	31. X Force and Cable:Messiah War part 2

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert: **X-Force and Cable -Messiah War related issue. **

* * *

****_EPISODE 29:MESSIAH WAR (PART TWO) _**

_New York City, in 2973. 22 hours and 40 minutes before mission's over._

"you look exactly like a girl I knew thousands of years ago!" a man fully dressed in Kevlar and fully armed is almost shouting, with a voice that seems a mix of idiocy and happiness.

"You've got to be kidding me.."

"Wade!" She screams, smiling, feeling a sudden relief.

"Deadpool? I thought he was taller…." Chris says as they leave their positions, the bullets-storm once over.

"Mmm, deluded? – He asks her taking the same position of a curios 5 years old, even the same tone- anyway, I've no idea what you are talking about… - he says taking a imperious pose – I'm the emperor of North America, and you can call me Your Majesty!"

"Wilson, I've never liked you, and I'm trying my best to not kill you _immediately. _What the hell are you doing here?" As he says so, Logan puts his claws into his brain, and the mercenary still points at Domino, like he wasn't feeling them at all.

"Ooh, Logan, I can feel you inside my head! You are a telepath now! – he pauses, giggling, happy, like singing – ooh, you're scratching my brain, thanks! A little to the left, please!"

"I hate him" Logan says as he takes back his claws, while Deadpool stops to point at Domino, who comes closer, like all the tem-members.

"Wolverine, Thunderbird 2nd! Domino! 5 others I don't know! I missed you! Where did you go? I was waiting for you! For a long time!"

"Wade, what happened to you? Where have you been?" Dom asks him

"My usual. Guns." He simply answers, arms open, like it was natural.

"Logan, how is he even alive?"

"Dom, how is Logan even still alive, after more than 100 years after his birth? – Chris states at crossed arms – it's well known Wilson has some kind of similar healing factor"

"I don't care how he survived, all I want is Cable!"

"Oh, I'm waiting for him, me too!" Wade sings again, in his giggling voice.

"And where is he?"

"Ehm, he, who, Logan, dear Friend?"

"CABLE!"

"Oh, but I don't know where he is now – he says, at loud, like he was kind of sorry – but, wait, I know where he will be! Do you have a car? Because I think he'll be at your mansion…"

"He is… he is crazy!" Chris says, looking at Domino and Warpath, while they are already walking following the man from the past.

"why, what did you think?"

"I dunno, Dom, I thought they were just… - she pauses, massaging her forehead – I thought they were exaggerating. I mean, it's not like I've already met him… I thought that, who told me he was crazy, was simply exaggerating. And it's not like every time I see some common "friends" I decide to talk about this… - she pauses, a hint of something close to disgust in her voice – this guy. I still can't believe that we're going to make something like 30 miles just walking…- Chris pauses for a second, pondering something into her head, as the wheels start to work properly – wait a sec… Siryn "dated" him? Theresa Ruorke Cassidy dated… that… that… "

"The skies… they are getting redder and redder…"

"I think it's an energy field, more visible at night, this is why the sky is getting redder – Chris says to Domino – and this is why some kinds of powers don't work – she pauses, looking at Logan – this is probably even the reason the devices don't answer as they should. It's like we're trapped inside a bubble, like a small eco-system independent from the external one."

"Guys, look… this place… - Domino stops, like everybody else, looking at a palace – I think we're at the United Nations…"

"Wait… he's not at Westchester."

"Sorry, X?"

"Logan, he is here, I can smell him."

"Ok… X, Warren and Jimmy are with me. Dom, you baby-sit them."

"Baby-sitting a kid, a criminal, a crazy and a nerd. Just Great…"

"Great it's you baby-sitting me, Domino. I knew I had to come back to MI-13 and not pay attention to Scott. Scott means troubles…"

"MI-13? British intelligence?"

"Yes"

"you work with Wisdom! I knew the guy! I thought he was dead!"

"I Heard you can't call yourself a real hero if you don't die or pretend to be dead at least once in your life. – she pauses, sarcastic – I'm still working on that."

"Does he keep trying to get in bed with every girl he met?"

"Just mine… well, technically, now it's his. We're kind of living together."

"C'mon, people, focus on me! I have Travel Connect 4! Who's in?"

"You still believe he is not that crazy?"

"Once met him in person… he is that crazy, Dom. Even more, maybe."

As the 2 stop to talk, Proudstar approaches them, dark in his face.

"Jimmy, did you find them?" Dom asks him, worried.

"Yes, but… that's not the problem – he pauses, as he turns, like to show them the way – better if you see it with your eyes…"

"Am I looking at a Celestial town? Because I think I'm looking at a Celestial citadel…" Chris says, the whole group reunited, alongside Deadpool, Cable and the baby, an almost 10 years old little girl.

"Meet the boss, same as the old boss – Deadpool says in his usual crazy tone – the very, very, very, very, very, very old boss…"

"Stay close to me, little one" Nathan says as he holds the baby as close as he can.

"She is… - Chris says looking at the girl in Nathan's arms – is she the baby? My God, I can't believe… last time I saw her, she was just a newborn… how old is she, anyway? How long have you been here, Cable? She is, what, 10?"

"I want answers" As he turns to look at Deadpool, Logan has an expression almost feral; he takes the man for his throat, like to try to blackmail him into doing something.

"Be careful, I'm not healing how I used to! Anyway… -he pauses, smirking, almost giggling – do you want the Tolstoy version? The cliff notes version? The preview catalog solicit version? – as he continues, Logan lifts him from the soil, trespassing the centuries old body with his claws – abridged version, so it is… -as he says so, Logan lets him go – anyway, it was… 2034, I think, I'm not sure, you know, you lose track of time after a while, anyway, I was working for the for the New Jersey Authority… kind of, when…"

"go. on." Logan spells it, showing his claws again, in Wilson's face.

"That's what I'm tying to do! I thought you wanted to hear it all, dear friend Logan! – he pauses, crossed arms, like mad like a stubborn child, an continues without looking at their eyes – anyway…they seemed to have a bone to pick with you, for some reasons."

"he is telling the truth. Wade, go on."

"anyway….they hired ,e to stop a rebellion led by some blonde chick, but things were going bad for my bosses… the rebels, being rebels, were super-determined. So, I decided to close myself in some kind of industrial freezer… I figured it out I'd be safe there, I mean, it worked for Harrison Ford and I didn't even know who the hell Harrison Ford was! – he pauses again – anyway, I wanted to stay there for a little while, and, you know, leave once the war was over to offer my services to the winner… but, well, let's say it hasn't been the best idea I ever had, considering tat I've been there for something close to 800 years…. I tried tic-tac-toe, the hangman, I even cultivated a slit-personality, but he pissed me off, so I started with Monopoly, but since I didn't have any pieces, I…"

"Wilson, get to the point!" Logan screams as he lifts him again.

"Ok, ok, so, 800 years later, kaboom! Next thing I know, a bunch of men are showing into my coffin… ehm… home… Hoping to find water or food, but finding, instead, moi, who overpowered them and asked them to bring their new leader to water, food and women…but, well, when I did it, they run away. I was kind of happy and honoured, at the beginning, but, 10 seconds later, I realized it wasn't me they were afraid of, but of the guy at my back, who was trying to kill me… and his name rhymes with butter-knife!"

"I thought Stryfe was dead…. Besides, it was En Sabah Nur the one who had all the Celestial technology…" Chris say, mask-less, questioning eyes, at her boss, like Logan could have the answer.

"In the middle of the city, there's Apocalypse's ship. Are you telling us that Stryfe somehow…" now, to threaten Wilson's life is Nate, and, although powerless, or close to, he is still a scary soldier, and Wade sees it immediately.

"If you all would let me end the story.. –he pauses, crossing again his arms – like I said, it was Stryfe. A catastrophe had wiped out almost the entire humanity, and your crazy little twin brother stepped in to fill the void, and re-made the world at his… well, your image, enslaving the remaining humans… outclassed, outnumbered, out-everything, and in desperate need of help, protection, a bath, soap and hugs. So, I did the only reasonable thing…"

"You joined Stryfe"

"Exactly, brown-head girl I don't know of! – he says at Chris, with his childish and sweet tone – did I already tell you this part?"

"YOU! – Logan shout at an almost 60 years old Cable, pointing at him, full of rage – how come you didn't notice something like that, Summers?"

"It's not his fault! – the little red-head starts to cry, embracing her surrogate father's knees, looking with just an open eye at X-Force, like terrorized by them, and by their behaviour towards her "dad" – we were always timesliding, and then we opened up a rocket, and then…"

"Enough – he says going to her level and silencing her by putting a finger on her lips – I don't have to explain a damn thing to you or your likes, Logan"

"No? then I guess you prefer to tell it to daddy, then" Logan isn't even looking at him, cold and cruel. Like Nathan wasn't the one in front of them. Like it was some kind of nemesis, and not one of the former leaders of the X-Men, the man who guided X-Force, their friend.

"Ehy, I was talking with you! you said you wanted to hear my story! – Deadpool for a single second cries out like a stubborn child, like he wanted to do as they said just now, finally – anyway, as the brown head girl I don't know about said, I decided to help your brother, to catch the last of them, didn't matter how smelly they were… and now, your brother Stryfe is the BMIC… Anyone wonders what it means? No? C'mon people, it's easy! – he continues as no one is still listening to him – BMIS… It stands for Big Mutant In Charge! Isn't it easy? I told you it was!"

"Glad to see you still have your humour, wade – Logan tells him, again looking at the crazy mercenary - - so, why being here all alone? I bet your boss will miss you."

"Stryfe is going too far… if I say that the Age of Stryfe pretty much makes the Age of Apocalypse look like the age of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, you have to trust me…"

"trust you? You'd be fools to trust him… there's no such thing as too far for you! – Nathan comes closer and closer to the mercenary, followed by the baby girl, still embraced to his knee, while he shouts pointing at the man he was just a second before talking about – if I were you, I'd gut and dump him!"

"Who are you talking about? And what do you mean by…?"

"Not now Hope"

"C'mon Nathan, how am I supposed to…"

"I said – he says looking now at her in the eyes, firmly as just a parent could be, repeating what he previously told her, something the little one, "Hope", wasn't listening to. – not now"

"You hurt me, Nathan! You hurt me bad! I thought we were friends! – even I have my limits… which is why I'm here all alone… but then – he says opening his arms and giggling – you guys showed up, and it's like the old times again! We're the X-men and we will take him down!"

"Never known you've been one of us" Chris says, an evil smirk on her face.

"I hate continuity, and I hate you, brown-head girl"

"I'll say it again… I don't trust him – Cable says facing Domino – I don't buy this. It can't be Stryfe, because A) I saw him disintegrate with my own eyes"

"And I guess it'd be strange for people like him to came back from the land of the dead ones, right?" Chris is crossed arms, and she isn't using just sarcasm right now… she is starting to get cold, too. she is starting to feel like Logan, and to think like him.

"And b) – he continues – even if he were alive, which, as I said, I doubt, he could never defeat Apocalypse alone."

"Not to seem rude, but I don't care about Stryfe or Apocalypse, it's for them we're here… - Logan again points at him – let's talk about the reason we're effectively here… being you, and how you screwed things up."

"What does he mean that you.."

"Later, Hope."

"But"

"Later, and ignore him., and all of them."

"Scott thought you were going to bring the child back, Nathan. And when we found Lucas and discovered what was happening to you…. – Chris comes closer to him, looking at him in the eyes, without her mask and her special contacts – this isn't the life you were supposed to give her. There's no way to know how this affected her future and what will be of her."

"Doc's right – Logan shouts louder and louder – we're talking about it and we're talking about it now… you were supposed to protect her, to keep her safe! That was the deal at Muir Island!"

"You don't know a damn thing." Ha calmly answers them, eyes in Logan's ones.

"No, he is right, Nathan. – Chris says in her scientific mode, cold but not mad – you might be doing some damage you're not even aware of."

"Better the present, where she'll die for sure, right? I know this isn't the ideal time-line to rise her, but at least we can survive!"

"You're supposed to know everything about the future, but, still, look at what you choose for her… you picked the worst possible one!"

"I can handle it, and I'll leave her free to choose her own way!"

"yeah, a way that ends right into a brick wa…- Logan can't even end the sentence that Cable hits him right into the jaw with his metallic fist; as the "fight" is over, the Canadian mutant starts to massage the lightly hurt part of his body, and, once in place, releases his claws – mission's over, Summers!" AS he says so, Warpath immediately stops them, dividing the two X-men, avoiding a massacre.

"James' right. First thing, we have to understand what's keeping us here, and taking it out."

"Yeah, sure, fine…"

"I'm not going to take part in…. hell, no!" he screams, as suddenly the find themselves surrounded by a band of techno-soldiers all similar to both Stryfe and Warren, with his metal wings. And not just a band… thousands and thousands, maybe, or maybe just few of them… they are so close, to each other, like a wall. Like someone was waiting for them. Like someone knew what was going on and decided to ambush them. Ambush them with fire-weapons. With blades. Lasers. And everything else. A carnage.

"Wolverine, we need a plan!" Domino shouts as she explodes her bullets and hopes in getting lucky, while Proudstar hits more and more of them with his vibranium knives.

"We've to keep the girl safe!" Chris shouts as she both protect as many of them as possible with a telekinetic shield and contemporary hits the "knights" with telekinetic blades, trespassing them like a ram with a drawbridge. "Wolverine, something's wrong with Archangel! – Blackdragon cries as she still tries to defend herself from the attack of 5 warriors, one from each side, even the sky – Wolverine, Archangel is leaving! He is flying away!" as she closes her eyes and, on knees, goes like into foetal position, the "bubble" around herself gets smaller and smaller, permitting to her enemies to get closer, and, as they are almost touching her, the bubble almost a filed like a second skin, she opens again her eyes, red in flames of energy, and the "Bubble" around her form not only gets bigger, but explodes from the inside towards the outside, hitting with its energy them leaving the girl at the soil, grinning, still on knees; at the same time, as soon as she rises her shield back on, bullets start to fly in the air, like fired by an army… an army of 3: Domino, Cable and Deadpool, that keeps dancing and firing while singing "Buuuuulleeettttsssssss!!!!!!!!!!" and repeating "Die zombie, die!" every time he hits one of the warriors, at least 10 times pro soldier.

_Bloody Hell… _ Chris thinks as she leaves her spot, after doing her number few other times; looking around themselves, there are just dead bodies, and a crazy man who keeps playing with their bodies like they were toys, and, for the first time, she understands what Logan was telling her about when Scott introduced her to the team… she understands it thanks to the sudden nausea she feels, and the needs of throwing up, a need that she refuses to obey to, too determined to not let it show… she doesn't want them to see how fragile she could be right now.

"Nathan!" As she hears the childish voice, she turns, just to see a scene that makes her smile, and feel better, something is worth fighting for: Hope, as Nathan christened her, choosing God only knows why a name that incarnates what the baby girl is, running into her "father's" arms, arms that lift her up, taking her away under their eyes; before moving, he just gives a last quick look to them.

"If you'll ever touch her again, I'll kill you… all of you."

"We're here for 5 minutes and we've to save her life, Summers! How are we supposed to…"

"Okay, boys…stop it now." Domino says as to try to calm them down.

"We need to move"

"the hell we will! Now you tell us everything we need to know and you'll give us the baby!" Logan, saying so, again comes closer to the man he once trusted, the man he trusted with the life of this little creature "doomed" to save or destroy them all, and shows him his claws, and not for just showing something… he has all the intentions of using them.

"All right boys, that's enough chest thumbing for now…" As Chris' resolute voice comes out from her lips, a telekinetic shield appears between the two man, dividing them, and avoiding an outcome no one really wants to be witness of.

"Stark, I'll tell you only once… remove this damn thing immediately" as she does as he ordered, Domino, even before the shield went down, pouts herself in the middle of the duo, just for precaution. "Ease up, everyone" she says, with the coldest and most authoritarian voice she can finds in her heart.

"Cable, Logan may be too aggressive maybe, but he is right – Chris says, still standing at distance- we need to know what happened, we'll need answers if we want to come back home… until you don't tell us what you know…"

_(later, closer to the Celestial Citadel…)_

"We're screwed here, you know that, right?"

"It doesn't need a genius to know that everything is going to hell, Logan." Logan, Warpath and Blackdragon are walking towards and upland, to get a better look at the place and get some intel, followed by the others.

"here's the deal, guys – Logan says, stopping to look at them, immobile like him – the time-devices aren't working. Warren's only God knows where, Vanisher and Black's powers aren't at the top, and, cherry on the top, Stryfe is coming to kill us all any time now… as our egghead said, it doesn't take a genius to know that there'll hardly be and happy ending. – he pauses – now, no matter what happens, you, Jimmy, are in charge of the kid. Nothing matters. My life, your life, our lives… nothing matters, but you have to keep her breathing. and you – he pauses again, pointing at Chris – you, start to get useful. Use those damn powers of yours, see to figure out what the hell is going on and how to undo it… because if we don't find a way to come back before the 24 hours are over, there will no longer be few chances to see an happy handing… but none. You hear me?"

"We got the message loud and clear, boss, but, to understand what's going on, I'll have to… - she pauses, as she looks at something getting closer to them, in the air – damn… enemy approaching!" as she ends the sentence, he is there. In all his metallic shining, Stryfe, heir to the power of Apocalypse, is in front of them… a younger, stronger, more powerful and healthier version of Cable… his twin, his clone, a man drove into madness by his own "father", Apocalypse, who tried to take for himself the body of the still young version of Cable's double… man who believes to be the real del, to be Cyclops' son…

"You're old and weak, Nathan… killing you this way is almost meaningless – he grins evilly, as Hope is behind Cable and everyone is trying to surround him – as I said, almost."

"Stryfe, you died a hero, it doesn't have to go down this way"

"He is younger than last time we saw him, Logan… he didn't resurrect, the man who died a hero saving the world… that was a future version of Stryfe…

Our past is his future, and our future is his past, like a cronal paradox. You'll not get nothing from him, he is still obsessed with killing Nate…."

"You should listen to Christine, Wolverine- Stryfe doesn't stop to look at Cable as he comes closer and closer to his "brother", but showing to know everything about the X-men, as he is well aware of who's behind the mask of the brown-head, and not just by call-name, but her real identity – past, present, future… for people like me, they don't have sense. The only thing I know, the only thing that it matters, the only way it can go down… - he pauses, looking and sobbing, inhaling deeply, like this was really the moment he lived for – is this. I've been waiting my whole life to kill Nathan. And now – he grins again, like a monster – now I'll get to kill some X-Men too."

"X-force…. Kill him!" as soon as he gives the order, Logan, released claws, jumps on him, followed by everyone, helped by everyone…. Everyone is fighting, with everything they've got… and, as soon as Domino and Cable starts to fire at him, Stryfe explodes into laughs.

" kill him? If it was supposed to make me laugh, Wolverine, it worked – he says, as he takes Logan for his face and launches him against Laura, 2 x-men down – you're like mice trying to haunt the cat. – he continues, as his next move is to order to Jim's brain to stop to breath and to not let the blood run – you come with me with claws. With guns. With knives – he grins, like a monster, as he comes closer to Chris, her telekinetic shield in shape of a ram with thousands of spikes all directed at him – her pathetic telekinetic abilities are the best you have, while I'm the most powerful mutant of all the times… of past, present and future. Any past, any present and any future!" as he says so, he launches a psycho-attack against the Stark girl, not letting her shield fall, but sending her with it against her team-mates, leaving them half-unconscious at the soil.

"You're just a mistake never corrected!" Nathan cries, as he jumps on him, to let him go, as he expected, as soon as his "half" takes him captive into a telekinetic sphere, similar to Blackdragon's one, but much more stronger.

"Brother, believe me if I say this isn't what I wanted – he pauses – it's not you the one I wanted… you are no longer the Cable I wanted to eradicate from… - he pauses, as he sees something red shining on his right arm, and a noise from it, like a tic tac… .NO!"He ends his sentence with a cry, as he is ale to launch on them the bracelet cable put on him, the bomb… and, as he does it, as the bomb touches the soil, it explodes, bringing X-Force with it, releasing Nate, and separating the man from his little one, now a trophy, like the man who caught her before she could die, the man who had been ordered to make sure she could still breath at the end of the day… Warpath, held in a kinetic bubble like little Hope, a kinetic sphere like the ones that are protecting X-Force and Cable from the grenade.

"Please, tell me it worked… are you all right?- Chris says, as, once the smoke is leaving, letting them see the imminent sundown, she removes the shields from her team-mates – I'm sorry boss, wasn't able to catch the girl. Saving ourselves is the best I've been able to do…"

"Okay, at least we're still alive and breathing… - Domino says, as Elixir helps her to stand – what's the plan now?"

"We take the citadel. We take Stryfe. We get Hope back. That's the plan." Nathan says, as he stands from the rock he was sitting on, weapons ready, as he is.

"Awesome! I like it's ge…." Deadpool interferes in the discussion – like he could actually have a word about it – like he was a child who just get the promises to have his whished toy.

" that's a suicide, and you're not thinking straight"

"Logan's right! I agree with him! This isn't awesome, it's a suicide!" Wade says, changing, suddenly, opinion, as he had to follow the leader.

"I don't care what you think, I'm not saying you have to follow me. she is the only thing that it matters… and every time we spend here talking, is another second her life is in danger!"

"a frontal attack could put even Hope's life in danger… it's not just a matter of tactic. Besides – Chris says at crossed arms, looking at the citadel from their position – that's probably what he is expecting from us, that we will do everything in our power to save her…Stryfe has probably understood we care for her, and we want and need to save her life. And that's the least… - she pauses again, turning to look at her team-mates – he knows that Nathan cares for her, that he would do anything to save her… he'll keep her alive, at least until Nathan we'll be there. If he'll kill her, he'll do it with Nathan there, to see it. He hates him so much, that he doesn't just want to se him dead, he wants to see him suffer, and what better than this?"

"Hate to admit it, but she's right. Way I see it – Domino says taking the command – we split up. Cable, Logan and Elixir will take the citadel, meanwhile, the rest of us will track down whatever's generating the time trap. – she pauses again, weapons in hand, looking at the man she loved for a good part of her life – what do you say about that?"

_Inside the Celestial city, Not that much time left…_

As she walks inside the city, she can't help but think about how things change, how can be different, how can be re-made; the celestial technology was supposed to be the best part of civilisation, was supposed to bring peace and prosperity… or, at least, that was the Celestial told once to the world, because they wanted it to be protected, safe, like an heaven. But, as she gives a better look at what's around herself, while walking with Deadpool at her side, too close, she sees just ruins. She sees death. She sees poverty and desolation… nothing of what it should be done with this things. But maybe, it was just a game for these creatures from the space, otherwise, why give it to a creature like Apocalypse? What the hell did they wanted to demonstrate?

"Don't. do. That." She Says, turning to look at him in the face, still with her mask and her red eyes, angry and mad, like fuming.

"But I don't know what you are talking about, brown-head girl I don't know!" he says with a sweet tone, innocent, like he was some kind of angel.

"Dom, tell your friend here he is walking a way too close to me, and I swear that if I see him again staring at my chest, he'll not end well for his downside parts!"

"That's interesting, you know? – Domino says, as she points here weapon at his head, as Laura does with her claws – there's something you're not telling us… and I want to know it!"

"C'mon, Dom, you know me! my pants can't hide you anything! - he says as he is against a wall., surrounded by the women – I was just thinking that the shield thing can't be here, that's all!"

"Inside the city, we're all powerless, right? It means that even your regenerative powers aren't working – Chris goes closer and closer, few inches from his face – Dom, one of your guns, please – as soon as Domino, smiling, gives it to her, Chris loads it, and point at Deadpool's head, a satisfied smile on her lips - if I hit a certain point of your brain, a certain point I know where it is and how to hit it, you'll die in less then a second."

"But I'm a masochist, I like to suffer!"

"Once the shield will be down, everybody will have its powers back, and we don't want to see your healing factor doing that magic on you, right? – she pauses, still smiling – well, at least, I don't want to see your powers working and healing the injuries I could give you. Meaning: if I hit you now, you're dead once and for all. Stop playing and pick a side"

"Better if you listen to her, Wade. I'm not sure it's a bluff, I've heard she has a lot of residual anger and could explode anytime… she really had a bad year, and I'm pretty sure she can0t take it any longer." Domino smiles, satisfied, while looking at the scene – a scene she, honestly, didn't think she was going to be witness of – knowing that Wade is too attacked to his life to not do as asked. Besides, he stared at every single girl chest from the minute they met, and he deserves it.

"Wait! I've heard him saying the shield thing isn't exactly a thing!" he looks at the sky, and not at them while talking without taking any breath, hurrying to make sure to be safe.

"the shield thing isn't a thing? What the hell do you mean, Wilson?" she says, still pointing at him.

"What I mean? What do you think I mean? - he says, still on his knees in front of the 3 women – what's a noun, if it's not a place or a thing?" he says, pointing at sky, as it was some kind of riddle.

"A… a person? Stryfe's using a mutant to create the shield?"

* * *

You know me, so you know I'm here waiting for you to R&R... and next time.... the future is here!


	32. X Force and Cable: Messiah War part 3

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert: **X-Force and Cable -Messiah War related issue. **

* * *

****_EPISODE 30:MESSIAH WAR (PART Three) _**

_The year 2973…_

"Ouch… my poor head hurts so much… can we grab a frap somewhere gang? Gang? Gang? Ehy! You're not listening to me!"

Inside the citadel, almost at what should be Stryfe's headquarter or at least the place where the shield generator – whatever it was, a person or a thing, should be – the women from X-Force (Domino, X-23 and Blackdragon), Vanisher and the future version of Deadpool are walking among the cadavers of the guards of the enemy they killed; Blackdragon, as the carnage is finally over, hands back to Domino the gun she had to use, the gun her team-mate shared with her (an action Dom answers to with a gesture that should imply that she doesn't want or need the gun back), since, as almost everyone, Chris' powers are extremely weaker in this future, shielded by something – or someone – who's avoiding them to come back in their past. Until now, it hasn't been a problem, quite the contrary: the shield has avoided Foley's mutiny, but what they are scared for is what will happen once their time will be up. They're not like people as Victor Von Doom, who knows time-travel better than their own hands; if they'll remain in the future longer than a certain amount of hours… it will be the death of them, literally, and not metaphorically.

"Wolverine puts his claws into your brain and you get a headache now?!" Vanisher, at their backs, screams at Deadpool, aiming at him with his fingers.

"You shouldn't make fun of me… it's not my fault! I have low blood sugar!" Deadpool, again, does the childish and begging voice, like it was some kind of kid who wishes for something.

"Shut up, both of you – X says showing them one of her claws – one more word and I'll cut your tongue"

"But I like my tongue! And I'm sure the Vanisher guy does too!"

"Wilson, I still have the gun with me, and, although I don't like to use weapons that much, I could make an exception for you. I'm sure you don't want to see firsthand how good I am with it." Chris stops and turns to Wilson, index practically in his eyes, red of rage: now she knows that there's one human being she can't stand, and that's him. And she thought that living with Tony, the house always full of women, was exasperating. That's exasperation.

"Yes, but…"

"Shit, will you shut up? Do as they say! I'm pretty sure they… they… they…" even before he could end the sentence, Vanisher ends on the soil, throwing up, emitting sounds that look like he was in agony, tremendous agony.

"Vanisher, what the hell is wrong with you?" Domino asks as they approach him.

"Time's almost up – Blackdragon says as she looks at the "bracelet" – he is starting to feel the side-effects of the time-travel… and soon they'll affect us too. We have to move faster. If we don't move, we're dead."

"Yes, but… damn - Domino looks in front of her, feeling the urge to hurt herself as she looks at the "palace in front of them – I can't believe I haven't noticed it before…"

"What? - Black asks as she stands, with Vanisher doing the same, as the woman joins the older one and both look in front of themselves, almost wordless. – Damn… That's Ship."

"What's Ship? I don't understand." Laura says as does as the woman do, looking up in the sky, but not as scared and worried as them.

"This is Ship – Domino explains, pointing at the "thing" – damn… this is Posh… no, wait… Graymalkin…damn, I should have listened to that Blaquesmith guy more…"

"Who's Blaquesmith?"

"Blaquesmith used to be Cable's mentor. The one from the future and this is…"

"Black, it doesn't matter. What I mean, is… this is Apocalypse's ship! This is… this should be alien technology, I think… bad news."

"Celestial technology, something that neither Dr. Doom or Mr. Fantastic haven't understood yet – she pauses, looking with a non-so glad look at the structure in front of them, biting her lips - It mean it's bad, very bad, extremely bad news."

"Bad or not, as Domino said before, it doesn't matter, Blackdragon. – Laura, as she says so, is already in front of the structure, looking for an entrance – our objective is inside. We must complete the mission."

"When you'll have accomplished your mission… when you kill the time trap, I mean, you are going back, right? – Deadpool says as they finally enter in a completely empty space, filled just be technologic walls and blue – art deco, so nice! Anyway… you have to go back, you can't stay here. No matter what happens, you have to go back. And I mean a.s.a.p. …"

"Enough of this… - Chris says as, Domino aims at his skull, a look of anger and frustration in their eyes. - Murder will be our last resource; this person is probably doing this because they are forced to. We have to try to save them… at least. Then, we will come back to our own time-line, and in that moment, I'll be the happiest girl alive, Wilson."

"I couldn't agree more - Neena pauses – there's something you are hiding… what aren't you telling us? Tell me, damn! Or I swear to God, we'll kill you!"

"And took not of the fact that I'll understand if you'll lie to us… or if you'll voluntary forget something."

"I only know what he knows!"

"You're still not making sense, what are you talking… - as she looks in what should have been his eyes in the past centuries, Blackdragon remains speechless, as sudden realisation hits her, as she understands what he means… the enormity of it, and, mostly, the gravity of it. – Oh, shit. Stryfe!"

"Yes! Yes! Exact! He is in my head! He is going to kill you all; I can hear him thinking it right now! He is in my head; he has always been in my head! I told him the others were coming… Logan Cable and Oscar Statue… he can hear what I'm thinking! But I can hear him too! He has taken out Bishop and Warpath! And he is going to kill the others! And I even know what happened to the cockroach people, if you are interested… crazy days!"

"Laura, Black and I will keep Wilson here. You and Vanisher will find the source of the net. He moves... – She pauses grinning – we blow the rest of his brain out."

"Pal... – Vanisher says as he and Laura are moving, leaving Domino and Black alone with the "traitor"- good luck, you're dead!"

"What is it, Wade, some kind of trap? What do you mean Stryfe's in your..." Domino, still aiming at his head, can't even end the sentence, that she sees him flying, hitting with his back one of the walls, while Chris' red eyes are getting redder and redder, and her whole form is surrounded by a purple aura. "I bet his objective was to kill us from the beginning… how blind I've been… Stryfe's second only to Jean and Ray… and the bastard has been his eyes on the world from only God knows how long…"

"Well, he commanded me to kill you all, but I've been kind of … distracted… by you girls. It's been such a loong time since the last time I saw such niiice girls…"

"We have less than 30 minutes before time is up. If we don't disable the net, we're trapped here, and if we're trapped here – Chris continues, still keeping him against the wall – we're dead. According to Beast, we can't stay here more than a certain amount of time…"

"Speaking of which… - Vanisher says as they are again joined by the duo – we found the source of the chronal net, but I don't want to be the one to unplug it"

"Yeah, listen to him! – Deadpool tries to say – listen, you're mad with me nice lady with brown hair, I can tell it, and, frankly, I quite understand you. But you have to listen to me… you have to jump the moment she is dead, because I know what Stryfe has planned, and I don't want you to…"

"We. Will. Try. To. Not. Kill. The. Mutant! - Chris says, releasing him, and following the rest of her team – Christ, this poor woman… it's her?"

"Who's this one?" Vanisher keeps looking at the old woman, as she was a piece of art in a museum.

"She is... she is one of us.. – Laura says, kneeling in front of the woman, white hair, looks like a few millennia old, dressed with a white suite and caged with cables – she is a mutant… her name's Kiden Nixon. She is… was… my friend…"

"C'mon, it can't be! How can she be still alive?"

"I know it, I know it! I saw it in Stryfe's mind! They took her in 2009! Hey, does the decade has a name yet? Anyway, Stryfe's forcing her to use her powers to stop time, and he found this thing, that amplifies her powers, so that with her powers she can stop time in the whole time and…"

_Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it….._

"And she is telepathically linked to Stryfe like me but I don't pass my time keeping saying the whole time the same thing all over again…"

"We have to help her, pull her off the net and…"

"Laura, I'm sorry – Domino says going at her back and putting an hand on her shoulder – but we can't simply do it. It's too dangerous. We don't know how this could affect the cronal net… "

"We can't kill her, Dom, c'mon! we are here to help, not to go out in the world screaming "guess what? We are mutants and we really are monsters because we kill helpless people"!"

"Black, check her. After all this time, I'm sure that her… soul, conscience, call it as you like, is gone. She is just a puppet in his hands. We'll make her a favour."

"NO - she firmly states, close to Laura, as she looks at the people around them – Summers send me here on a rescue mission, not for a killing…"

"We are killers, honey. Better if you open your nice eyes and stop to dream. Summers did it a long time ago…"

"Hate to say that, but she is right. – Vanisher says taking the word and defending Chris – Who cares about some old lady? If we don't turn the net off, we die, I don't understand why we should even discuss abut…"

_Daddy's chasing the little girl, don't daddy, don't chase her…._

"What is she talking about, Wilson?" Chris says, forcing him against a wall again.

"Wait, wait, wait nice brunette… I'm seeing it too.. it's your mutant Messiah kid… I think she is about the get killed!"

_Get your hands out of me…_

"Things are getting easier, I see…." as she is still standing, Chris, her mask still on, looks at the old woman trapped into the chrono-device, a look onto her features that shows how she can't decided what to do, even with her powers, her eyes shining red, her iris seems to move like the lenses of some kind of scanner.

"Speaking of easy things… - Domino approaches her, looking with sad eyes at the poor woman, more than a century passed recluse and in chains – I don't see any easy answers here… what do we do?"

"Ehy, I don't know how you feel about it, but, as I see things, this is a mercy killing situation – Vanisher looks with a disgusted expression at the scenario in front of him, but serious, looking around himself like in search of someone who could agree with what he sees as his first good action in years, if not his whole life – I mean, would you want to be trapped into a machine, out of your mind, for a century and more?"

"Ouch, I'm touched, Porter, you really are all heart. – Now the disgusted look is onto Dom's face, who, in shock, puts her hands on his shoulders, like to preventing him to do anything – you know, it's not as easy for the rest of us to kill our friends just to save our own skins."

"You idiots! – he shouts, turning to look at Domino in the yes, mad and serious – we're going to die here!"

"Hate to be the one to say it, but somehow he is right… - Chris, removing her mask, her eyes again black, looks at her team-mates, and at Laura, who's on her knees, close to the girl who once saved her life, who once she lived with, who once she called a friend – don't get me wrong, but it's a fact that, until she is alive, not only we're trapped here, but Stryfe will continue to have time and space blocked, in his power. AND – she looks at the two girls, noticing Laura crying for the very first time since she met her – there's no brain activity, just the part of her mind that controls her powers is still active, and its' acting involuntary, guided by Stryfe's subconscious. This woman is brain dead. I'm not saying I agree with the idea of killing her, just… I'm just telling you a couple of facts. And, honestly…. I'd prefer to simply shout the net down, without actually being the one to kill her. "

"You know, according to Logan you were an Angel… - Dom and Chris look at each other, blue eyes into raven black ones, as the woman who has been once Cable's lover speaks with a ferine voice, the cold tone of someone who just don't understand the other, but who doesn't want to – but, as I see things, you and Wisdom are made for each other. contorted mind."

"Ehy, wait, did you even listen to what I told you? I said.."

"That's it! – as Deadpool speaks, avoiding Chris to answer to what Domino just told her, the desire to let the other understand her point and how, thanks to her technological abilities, she extremely rationally sees things, it's like everybody forgot about his presence, it's like he wants to show them that he is there, that he wants and needs their attention, to be at the centre of everything – I've stood by and allowed the suffering of innocent souls for far too long. The line must be drawn here, it ends tonight! And I will never let go… and – he says as he leaves them, moving in direction of where Stryfe is supposed to be, an imperial and steady tone of voice, like he was some kind of emperor, of commander of an ancient army voted to death or victory – don't even think to try to stop me! – he stops, turning to look at them, his childish tone back, as they look at crossed arms at him, standing still, expressions that seems to say that they don't care too much about whatever he is going to do, and then back to the poor woman – seriously, people, I'm going into this one all alone!" Once he is gone, time passes, as the members of X-force can just look at the woman, in silence, keeping asking themselves what they can do, what they have to do. It's not easy, they know what the rational thing to do is, but they know, too, that they are face to face with an innocent, someone who's been used her whole life, but….

"we've less than half a minute left! What the hell are you even waiting for? – Vanisher screams, as he puts himself in front of Kinden – give me a gun, I'll do it!"

"Porter, shout up, you're not making it easier…" Chris says, without even looking at him.

"Laura, listen, I know it's hard but – Domino says, as, kneed at her side, as she puts one hand on X's right shoulder, using a sweet tone of voice, trying to not look cynical or too rational, like trying to be a little…. Maternal – we don't know what will happen when the timers will hit zero; for all we know, we could die. We have to… - as she says so, it happens, what they were scared of, what they weren't ready to face, the eventuality they didn't want to face: the timers hit zero, and the devices try to bring them back to the present, to the place they belong to, but, at the same time, the cronal –net keeps them in the future, making their bodies shifting between times in sections of billiards of second, causing their bodies to cease to exist in what it's commonly known as the time-stream: they start to degrade, from the inside out, panicking, feeling the terrible pain, blood from their eyes and mouths and ears….- we have to… to do something… - she pauses again – the devices are trying to bring us back, but the net doesn't allow them to. We're trapped between times, but it's impossible, that's the reason we're dying. We have to do it, X" she continues, as she coughs, crimson blood from her mouth, on the white part of her costume, as she takes from the holster her gun.

"But…. Kiden… she… I…"

_He is coming for you, run, run, please, run…nobody can help you… please… please, Laura, kill me… ki… _BANG! Kiden can't even end the sentence, that a single bullet hits her brain, a certain part of her skull, killing her in the same instant, ending her sufferings without she could even notice it.

"No! why did you…!" as an animal, she turns, her eyes red for the fury, her claws free, her spirit free, and faces the woman that just killed her friend, the only friend she had for a long time, pointing her "weapons" at her ivory neck, a single tear of blood leaving the fresh wound X made her, as she, cold-hearted and cynical, keeps looking at her, the gun still fuming and in her right hand. " I'm sorry X – she tells her, calling her with her codename, like to keeps it professional and sounds even more cold and rational - but there was no other way… - she pauses, as, once X calmed down, she makes sure that the old woman is really dead – strange… the devices were programmed to bring us back, and she was keeping us here – she says as she keeps coughing blood - But now she is dead, and we're still here…"

"I don't know you, but I don't want to die.. bye, bye!" as he says so, laughing, Vanisher, under their unbelieving eyes, removes the time-device, vanishing in the instant he does it.

"what do we do now? Beast didn't… - as Domino says so, she looks at Chris, who's looking outside, in direction of where the others are supposed to be, concentrated, eyes closed, fingers on her temples like to increase said concentration - Black? What do you have?"

"Although we're still dying, My powers have been restored – she announces, a grin, extremely quick, on her face, that vanishes immediately – Stryfe's been defeated by Apocalypse, and the girl is again in Cable's hands."

"Apocalypse? I thought Deadpool said he was dead, that Stryfe had killed him centuries ago!"

"Apparently, Domino, they were both wrong. According to what I sense – she continues, putting her mask back on – Death restored him to his full potential. He is letting us leave as a payment. You can say what you want about him, but En Sabah Nur is a man of honor…"

"Better if we start walk… I'm pretty sure the others are waiting for us where we left them."

_Later, outside the citadel._

"we have to go… to leave this place…" As Chris says so, she knees, more and more blood from her mouth, and blood from her ears, sign of a cerebral hemorrhage.

"Logan, listen, I think I could…"

"I don't care what you think, Cable! – Logan shouts at him, kneed like all the others – get her out of here!"

"No, Nathan, I don't want to! We can't leave them! They're sick… James… Josh… Laura… Christine… Logan… and Domino… they saved us! We can't just…." As she says so, as she is stopped from ending the sentence, they do it, they time-slide, disappearing.

"Damn.. Logan.. I'm not sure I can…"

"Hold on, Black, you can control the pain and your wounds, you just have to want it – Logan says, as Warren takes him and Foley and flies in direction of the UN, where the attack is supposed to be – you, X, Jim and Dom, goes into position, removes the bracelets and saves Boom Boom!"

"I have to… to keep… to keep going…I'm losing… I'm losing my connection with the outside… can't sense.. can't feel… dark.. and alone…. I can't control… they're surrounding me… can't help… "

"I could not help Kiden, but you and Dom did. I will save Tabitha and the others, I promise.- As she says so, Laura knees in the space between Chris and Dom, and, one claws pro hand, cuts off the devices that were keeping them there, before they could reach what was Tabitha Smith's position in the past – I'll accomplish our mission."

"What the… X! No!" both Domino and Chris cry at the same time, almost without voice, energies long gone, running off of blood, as the white light of the time-travel they are experimenting embraces them, giving them its welcome back.

_The actual present, 3 miles from the U.N. _

"I… hate… time-travel…."

"couldn't… agree… more… I Swear… I'll never… do it… again…." As Chris looks at Domino, already standing in the middle of the road, encircled by thousands of people who look them scared and curious, the brown-head psychic, helped by her team-mate to stand again on her feet, can't help but answer this way, and, as she does so, she looks at the sky, her mask in pieces, and sees how blue it is, something she thought she has forgotten, something she thought she wasn't going to see ever again. Blackdragon has to admit to herself that, coming close to life, does that to you. It helps you to see things in prospective, and, right now, she is seeing them as clear as never before. As the energies come back to her, as her blood starts to run again through her veins as it was supposed to be, she wonders for the first time after so long, she keeps asking herself what the tomorrow will bring her, and, mostly, she asks herself what was the meaning

Of what she just saw. She thought they were supposed to avoid those kinds of things, but, instead…. Nathan come back in time because he didn't want to see the world he had been raised in ruled by Apocalypse, but, now, what they saw…. Stryfe's reign has been even worse, the son has showed his father he was the best one; looking at those things, she asks herself it still has some kind of meaning, what they are doing, or it's nor even worth a try.

"Oh My… Tabitha…! Where the hell are we now?"

"Damn – Chris says as she massages her forehead, blood everywhere on her body, checking the landscape, closed eyes to concentrate better her psyonic energies – we re-emerged where Laura cut the bracelet off… 3 miles from the UN, south-west."

"Dammit… - Domino and Chris start to walk side by side, as people looks at hem like they were at a freak-show - is anyone out there? Laura? Logan? Answer!"

"Dom, calm down, please, I need to concentrate on you – as she says so, Chris looks in her eyes, Chris' orbs red and shining like gold – I'm transmitting 27 different kinds of commands to every single brain around us, and, at the same time, I'm using my telekinesis to alter our appearances to the others' eyes. I don't know what I will able to do to help you, I'm not 100% and I'm not that powerful."

_Dom? Black? You out there? You read me?_

"Jimmy? We're okay, but we need to know where you are, see if you can arrive to Tabitha before us and… - as she says so at her comm.-link, Domino stops, looking at the sky, as Chris does, a sky no longer blue, but bright, in fire – Black, the… I think they…. Everything's going to burn we have to…"

"Think I got the message…. – again, her eyes shine, and, as she stops to mask their presence, she canalizes her efforts on the mass of humans around herself, ordering them to clear the area, a quiet evacuation without any kind of danger, but still quick. – everybody, you are calm and you're leaving. You'll mean no harm to anybody. Come back to your homes. You've no reason to stay here. You don't want to stay here any…. – she pauses, as she walks, with Dom, in front of the building, seeing few of the remaining members of the team - longer… Ehy, boss. I assume things went good, right? The scenarios I played always ended with a little more of tragedy…"

"Surge- Logan says, the girl in his arms – she popped. Foley saved the day"

"Oh, that was the light we saw, than. Well, what do you say when you think you were sentenced to death, and end, instead, alive and well?"

"You say you had a good day, Black, and that you'd been lucky that the boys did extremely well for junior X-Men – Logan says without letting go of Surge – and I'd say that we need to move."

"I told Jimmy to meet us at a safe-house I've got nearby" Domino answers, a small smile on her lips.

"No, it's not safe – Chris suggests, checking on the children's vitals – they vitals need to be stabilized, we need to bring them back to Graymalkin."

"Where the hell did you left Laura? Where is she?"

_Graymalkin, San Francisco. Epilogue_

"Hope and Cable are okay- once back to Graymalkin, Chris meets with Logan, Scott and Beast, in the infirmary, where the former students are receiving medical treatment, to brief them on her analysis – Hope, being the first mutant born after M Day. Things were a little complicated at the beginning, but Apocalypse showed up, he saved the day, and now everybody's cool"

"Did the baby was already showing any power?" as she is leaning against a wall, at crossed arms, McCoy tries to seem calm, although he isn't, he can't wait to see what they are going to tell him; he looks exited like a baby in a toy shop.

"Lets' say that the IKEA crib you're building isn't going to work anymore -she says smirking - According to my data, she is nine years and few months old, and, no, she wasn't showing any kind of power, although I'd… I think she knows she is a mutant, and can't wait to see what powers she will have; but, I don't know why, she is obsessed with the idea that her powers are somehow related to self-preservation, and even Nathan seemed to think something in that line, but, if it's true or not, I'm not the one who can tell you. By the way, speaking of your son… he gave her one of our old uniforms. That girl's dying to be an x-man."

"There's more. Tell them." Logan orders her, cold.

"What are we supposed to know, Chris?" Scott is now at crossed arms, like her, looking at her in the same way Tony did when she told him she used to be a spy.

"Foley had to cure her, and, as he touched the girl, he blanked, said he knew what she was, but he didn't have the time to tell us - as Logan leaves, she follows him, and, just a second before to leave the room, she turns – I'd like to tell you what he saw by myself, but looks like Foley's power work even with the mind. Somehow, he is blocking me, I think it's the "black" part of him doing that. better if you ask him, if you want to know, once he'll left the coma he went in to save US for YOUR mistake. If he'll ever let that coma."

"Enough, the both of you. It wasn't a mistake. I did what I have to. It was for the baby's safety."

"I know how important she is, but she is a single child. There were thousands of people there. And if they'd died… we'd found ourselves in the same condition. You know what happens when humans start to blame mutants for their deaths, right?- as she says so, they are just inches apart, cold-hearted and mad. – besides, Summers, I'm pretty sure that this goes against everything we…"

"Once you'll be back in shape, you can come back to your life. You said you didn't belong here, right? – he says, turning –. There's no need for you to stick around, now"

"Who said anything about coming back to England? you asked for my presence, Slim. I think I'll stick around for a while."

"Looks like I did a mistake – he says, pausing, close to her, his ruby lenses looking into her red blooded eyes – if you question my authority. Logan can lead the team, but it's me the one who calls the shots, don't forget."

"Oh, relax, Summers, there's no way i0m going to do it again. I've learned an interesting lesson today: I still have a soul and I like it a lot. - She grins, almost laughing, as she turns them her back and walks in direction of the door -So, Scott, tell me – she says as she reaches said door, turning with just her head to look at him a last time – how does it feel to be such an hypocrite? Because last time I checked, you forced the professor to leave because of his secrets and the choices he had made… but, as I see things, sweetie, you're even worse than him. – as she says so, she starts again to walk, ready to leave – just remember that I did this for us as in "our race", not for you or to go against Charles. Once you'll come to your senses again, call me and tell me what you need. Until then… you can stay the hell away from me, 'cause I don't like dealing with the ones like you."

"where the hell do you think you are going, you two? I thought I just said that…"

"Laura's missing, and I don't care what you said…. Black's gonna help the Cuckoos to find her for me – he turns, as cold as never before – you better hope my girl is okay, Summers."

_Inside Cerebra_

"I'd like to know why I have to help them to find your Girl, Logan- Chris pauses, little annoyed, the Cerebra helmet still on, while "dialoguing" with the machine – it's not like it's something neither of us can't do on their own"

"Chris, focus" Logan looks at her at crossed arms; she is standing with one of the helmets, sitting Indian style in the air in front of one of the 3 white-eyed triplets, once part of a group of thousands, while the teleporter Illyana Rasputin is standing at her right.

"She's not showing up, Sir" the girl connected with Cerebra says.

"Keep scanning" it's a simple statement, an order, made by the 200 years old Canadian, as he looks at the 4 telepaths concentrated doing their work, and to Domino, busy pointing a gun at their head to "convince" them to work better.

"Logan, we've been up to this for more than 24 yours… there's the possibility that Laura could be somewhere shielded away from the Cerebra net, or maybe she is refusing to let us in for some reason. You have to understand that her mind works as your own, and that we can't see he unless she let us in." Chris, still at closed eyes to keep a better concentration, tries to look calm and rational. That's what she is good at, probably the only thing she is really good at: she knows too well that, once she gets too emotional, she tends to screw things up pretty badly; but, right now, she is trying to do another thing, too: to Be positive, because there's just a person Logan really cares for, and it's not his son, but Laura.

"I know Laura. She wouldn't stop looking for us. We're not giving up on her. And –he keeps saying, closing firmly his right fist, letting his claws out just a little, so that a single tear of crimson blood could leave . you have to remember that the second we stop looking for her, she is as good as dead."

"Maybe she is not showing up because she is already dead…" Celeste, probably the strongest of the 3, the one connected with Cerebra, dares to say, telling out loud her sisters' thoughts.

_Bad move. I'd not done that with a gun pointed at my brain, Celeste. _Chris smirks under her breath as she mentally sees Dom ready to pull the trigger, as the blonde girl is scared to death.

" not funny, Black. I heard you – she pauses, smirking like her team-mate did just seconds before – someone has to teach our Emma lites to keep a positive attitude and never give up trying. We'd all be broken-hearted if my gun would "accidentally" goes off and "accidentally" shoots… Mindee? Phoebe? Celeste? Or whoever you are in the head."

_Dom, enough. You're not exactly helping. We were supposed to connect our powers so that we could go anywhere on the planet, but if you scare them, their thoughts and their will interfere with my owns._

"We..we have found something." The frightened girl murmurs.

"Laura?" Dom asks, fingers on the trigger.

"Wolwsbane"

"Laura. keep looking for her. Rahne's a grown-up, she can take care of herself"

_And here I thought that Rahne had been brainwashed during one of your missions._

"focus - he simply orders her, as, finally, Dom puts back in place her weapons. – your thoughts are interfering with the cuckoos' ones."

"Logan, you have to think about the possibility that the girls could be right – Chris removes the helmet and, standing, goes to face him, her mind still connected with Cerebra via Wi-Fi.- we could not find her. Maybe you should leave and when we find her…"

"no"

"Logan, it's not your fault."

"It is. That girl has never been fine a single day in her life… damn, she has never got a life! I had her in school, Chris. She was with other kids. And then I took it all away!"

"Summers pulled her into this. He is the only one to blame. It's just his damn fault. And you want to know how I know this?"

"let's hear the lecture, fine" he says, annoyed, knowing that she is going to do that he wants to hear it or not, as he keeps doing in/out with his claws, keeping bleeding .

"First: it was Summers to pull her into this, not you. And I'm sure about it 'cause the bastard is worse than Charles. Prof X at least pretended to do it for our own good, Summers, instead, has been pretty clear about that he doesn't give a damn about ourselves at that we are merely weapons in his hands. – she pauses – second, talking for experience, although being what she is, Laura is still a teen-ager, and she will never listen to you."

"taking orders is what she is, Chris – he pauses, looking, even with the mask on, lost, a shade of a smile on his mature and handsome features – but I'm the only one she listens to. And when I'll find her, because we're going to find her – he pauses, getting again sad and lost – when we'll find her, things will change. I know her Chris, I really do, and I know that, no matter how she acts, she is human, and there's a limit to the amount of hell she can…. – he pauses, as he sees her turning her head in direction of the girls, taken mentally away from what's happening around her physical self - go through. What's going on?"

"whatever was blocking us, is gone - Chris turns, a smile of satisfaction on her lips, and, grinning, faces again Logan - we've got her. Time to bring your girl back home."

* * *

You know me, so you know I'm here waiting for you to R&R... and next time.... the future is here!


	33. X Men and Dark Avengers: Utopia part 1

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**The Utopia Story-line featured in Uncanny X-men and Dark Avengers... not completely, but something like an half of it.

* * *

**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #31UTOPIA (PART ONE)**

**featirng the Uncanny X-men and the Dark Avengers**

_San Francisco, Market Street, Morning_

_I knew that coming back to Frisco meant fun… _As she looks at scene at crossed arms, she smiles under her teeth, like to avoid others to see it, but, truth to be told, mostly to avoid her team-mates to notice it, knowing too well that, at least one of them, would have a word or two about it (and about her anger issues and her temper, knowing Hank the way she does), but the Blackdragon can't help it, she has always been short-tempered, she has always found funny battling her enemies, and, besides, in the two weeks she has been in Frisco after Scott's call to arms, almost nothing happened.

"Here we go true believers. Face front, it's show-time" Simon Trask, heir to the legacy of the sentinels, is smiling, thinking about what he accomplished in his life, and, mostly, what he is accomplishing right now, and, once in front of a group of X-Men in civil clothes, like the feline Hank "Harry" McCoy, the speedster Jean Paul Baubier, the shining blonde Alison Blaire and the dark-haired psych and former billionaire Chris Stark-Johnson (who choose a quite old, simple, short and fitting black Lacoste polo in vintage style, with jeans and white sneakers), his smile grows wider. He has a vision, and he knows that his will, will help him in reaching his objectives.

"There are multiple routes you can take from here to city hall, all of which will require going around us."

"Have you ever heard about the first amendment, _Dr. McCoy?_ – he address to the blue-furred marvel, disgusted- we're only exercising our rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. you can't legally prevent our passage"

"We're simply doing what you are, Trask. We're exercising our first amendment rights." At crossed arms, Chris, standing in first line, grins, like she used to when she won a legal battle, or a contract. She doesn't need to read Trask's mind to know where he is going: she knows his family quite well, and he already made quite clear what he thinks about his "mission into the world": protecting children, schools and towns, everyone and everything from grotesque catastrophes. People protecting people, because, last time a mutant was born, an entire town paid the ultimate price, and, to avoid another , "all we have to do is legislating, humanly and gently, how and when mutants will be allowed to breed" _Breed. Like we were animals, freaks. And not person. If they hate us so much, I wonder why we still risk our lives for them, why we keep fighting, when they never remember all the good we do, and we did._

"Now, now, now, friends, we mustn't exercise hate-speak, we are all adults, cool heads will prevail" he looks at them, grinning. Chris has met once Sabretooth, and is sure she saw the same feral expression on his face. She wonders who the real animal is, or, if the philosophers were maybe right, and the real animal on the planet is the human one.

"We're not your friends – she looks at him, the same expression he had, one of hate and repulsion, while talking with Hank, while, in the background, she keeps hearing noises of people calling her and her friends weirdoes, muties and freaks – and I can't guarantee for the last part" she states, standing inches from him, while looking with an eye to the former students of the Xavier's, especially the one standing among Trask's followers, Julian Keller, who's forcing his way through the group.

"The world belongs to the future, get back to your caves, apes!"

"Julian, Chris, wait…" Hank turns, and roars to them, taking Chris for an arm, forcing her back, as Dazzler starts to throw solid light in front of the mutant crowd

"All of you, stay back. Just… stay back"

"oh God, look, the mutants have cut us off, we're surrounded" Trask, facing the mutants, back to his people, says so, but there's no fear in his statement, just satisfaction, because, as he grins, he knows that everything is going as he whished, and the mutants are showing their true colours, are showing to the entire planet that he wa right.

"Ali, let me go. – Chris says as the first punches start to fly in the air, the air already full of the magnetic signature of the police's distress calls, reporting the X-men not on scene, but **_at_** scene, while Pixie is already in Hank's arms, without consciousness – Ali, stop using that damn solid light shield on me, and let me use my powers."

"Stay. Back" Alison says, spelling it like Chris was a child.

"Ali, I can calm people down, and we have to. His permits and permissions were on file. We couldn't do what we did, and not what we are doing right now, but look at what's happening, while you tell me to "stay back". They are hurting our children. Soon the police will be here, and what do you think that it will happen, then? Who do you think they'll fire on, on us or them?"

"we have to be an example"

"What about you stop staying in my way and give me more reasons to hurt you?- _I've hurt people for less than having slept with my boyfriend, sweetie.-_Keller's hurting Trask, and the police is hurting Hank, we should do something"

"Cyclops would not…"

"Cyclops not our president or our king, and just because he asks us to, not everyone of us will do what he says.- she pauses, hungry – a million of people showed at our door to forbid us to have babies! I'd like to say it's no longer time to chant… but to scream and fight!, but I'll be reasonable and I'll just try to avoid people to get hurt… if you'll let me, sweetie. " and, as she says so, a kinetic force-field hits the soil where a group of followers of "humanity now!" coalition is keeping themselves busy hitting Hellion with everything they have, as the boy was on the ground, helpless.

_Later that evening, the Embarcadero._

"hate to say it, Summers, but Toad is right… you're no cop, nor king nor president. You can't tell them what they have to do. Frisco welcomed us here… and without any conditions, and not every mutant in the word will do as you please – band-aids on her face and on her arms, Chris, her "classical" old Initiative costume on, stands side by side with 3 of the strongest telepaths of the planet and their so-called leader, as mutants start to attack them, and are soon joined by humanity now! Followers that attack Scott as he ties to keep them in their place – and, hate to say that, but there are too many of them, and neither with the cuckoos I can keep everybody under control!" as she looks at him, being hit by a broken bottle in the face, she immediately tries to "build" a psych-barricade between the 3 factions, as the SWAT team helps the mutant leader to stands still – Bad news, boss. The net's telling me that Osborn is here with a battalion of Hammer agents and that brunch of criminals he calls the "Real Avengers" and…"

"And?" he asks her as he clears the blood.

"There are videos showing that _Miss Marvel_ is hitting Warren, while that thing that says it's Spider-man is giving an hard time to Peter. And Ares' being reported to be at City Hall"

"If the action is at City hall, then, we will go to city hall. I bet you can't wait to kick Osborn's ass, after what he did to your friend."

"Summers, they want to arrest you. They want to arrest _us_. And someone claiming to be professor X is, and I'm quoting what he is saying on CNN, while being all puppy eyes with Osborn, that he "is distancing himself and the work of his school, the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, from the insane course of actions Mr. Summers has taken. And I'm telling Scott, if he is listening, to turn himself in, because he is causing only more harm to our kind by running. – she pauses, hands on her hips, eyes focused on the destruction around them, caused by the riots – and he is on a wheelchair. Last time I checked, Charles was fine. So, or he ended again on that damn thing, or…"

"or, whoever it is, it's a pretender, like Osborn's whole team of Avengers. – he pauses, as he massages his chin, thoughtful – I re-thought the whole thing. I'm going to City Hall, see if I can do anything. I want you to go back to base with anyone who doesn't have x-men training."

"and here I thought you hated me, Summers…" she grins, crossed arms, satisfied. Although she is still in Frisco, she didn't do it for Scott or Emma. She did it for the X-men, because she hopes to be able to help them, because she hopes to be able to help Nate and Hope soon… and thing between Scott and herself are not exactly going easy; it was already hard in the past – she never liked him, she thinks it's a trust thing – or lack of – given by the fact that "fidelity" and "Summers" never get along too well, especially when the names "Jean Grey" was involved. And Jean was her friend, and so was –is - her daughter, Ray. Besides, never trust an unfaithful, her brother taught her.

"Right now, I'm in love with anyone who happens to have x-men training or even military one"

_X-men headquarter, later_

_*(TV)Swat and Hammer agents are watching carefully the facility to ensure no riot could start again, and we just heard Director Osborn, alongside former X-men leaders Charles Xavier and Emma Frost, that there's an arrest warrant for the so-called mutant leader Scott Summers, seen today on the scene.*_

"A great, brilliant, strategy" Summers grin again, like happy about the whole situation, or maybe just too attracted by Osborn's play of strategy, intrigued by this game, as, alongside his group of X-men and students, look at the screen.

"but, Scott, do you really think that.." Rasputin is looking sceptical, as in trance and shocked, at his leader.

"Scott's a little too enthusiast of this thing, but he is damn right. That man is definitely smart; either way, he wins – Chris pauses, sitting on the arm of the sofa – he is trying to make us look like criminal, especially you, Scott- you didn't let them arrest you, you break up. if we surround to him, he wins, because we'll look guilty. If we don't, we'll look even more guilty. And, there's the little fact that 2 mutants leaders are now at his side, meaning that he is questioning your authority here, as our leader."

"This is not about Osborn! She is with him! This is fascist, she is a fascist!" Cess runs in front of Scott, panicking, talking with both the adults.

"Calm down, cess. Emma won this one, but the war is far from over, and, frankly, I'd expect no less from her" he is looking at Cess, still that damn smirk printed on, like it was a victory, like what the black-dressed Emma Frost just did was actually right…

_*mutant lawbreakers will be safely and humanely disarmed for the duration of their capture*_

"Can't you see it, she is with him, she agrees with him!" Surge screams at TV, while Anole, another one of the young mutants, is questioning her.

"Yeah, she is with him, and then? If you have a gun and you can't have it, when they bring you in jail, they don't let you bring it in with you. Breaking the law means exactly this: breaking the law. And you can't do it just because you don't like it. If you don't follow it, you risk people getting hurt."

"The kid's right – as soon as she says so, Chris regrets he affirmation, knowing too well that if there's someone who is no longer a kid is Anole – and this is the reason Osborn thinks he will win this one, because he is sure that we'll not follow his rules"

"I hate it As much as you do, but, right now – Scott interrupts her, standing in front of everyone - he is running the board. Until we don't know or at least understand better what the rules of the game are, we follow my plan – he pauses, looking for a second to his feet, then again at them – we watch. We study. We plan."

"we wait for him to make the next move, you mean?" Surge, again, takes the word, after being silent for a while, looking at him in the eyes. If there's someone who ever questioned Scott Summers that much, is this girl, who, on the other side, is the more similar to him, too – a leader with issues of her own, like he did a her age.

"Yes, it's what I…"

"I'm not sure we'd get to stick with the plan, Summers. Something's going on - she pauses, as she looks at the screen, trying to figure out how can everything go that bad so rapidly – better if you came her to check out what's going on in Union Square…"

"Oh, no, no, no. please, please… - He prays at semi-closed eyes, on the large sofa in front of the TV, while looking at Hellion, Roberto DaCosta and few others walking in the streets and using their powers and destroyed everything public on their way – don't do this, don't be doing this…"

_*"Osborn and Trask want to make us criminals… Fine! Then they have just to come here with those traitors and arrest us"!*_

_"Fine Mr. Keller! - _Emma says emerging from Cloak's mantle in her diamond form and hitting her former favourite student as hard as she can - _you're under arrest!"_

_"You've always been a Nazi, telling us what we had or not had to do, but this is too much even for your standards!"_

_"get. your. people. out. of. here."_ she spells, as she answers to a kinetic blast with the most natural shield she posses – her diamond-like body.

_"C'mon pigs, I'm the last man standing… the whole word is watching!"_

_"Yes, indeed, Keller. You can be such a drama queen….yes, the world is watching. Watching a group of super-heroes bringing down a bunch of super-powered hooligans that tried to destroy a city park"*_

"okay, now it's official. They are the do-gooders and we are the bad guys." Chris says in exasperation, as she gives her back to the screen, crossed arms, facing Scott.

"yes, but, let's look at it.- he grins, again satisfied and full of enthusiasm - He has the rioters under control now. You know what it means?"

"hate to repeat myself, but I'm pretty sure that it means that these mutants are the bad ones – she says indicating the soil in front of her - and that those mutants are the good ones" this time, she is indicating a triumphant Emma on the screen, and it's pretty clear that her answer is sceptical and sarcastic, trying to see where Scott wants to go, or why he could be so "happy" about it.

"I need to have a serious talk with Osborn…"

"Oh, sure, you and Osborn, talking like old friends. That's so happening, Summers – she still faces him, she faces both physically and "emotionally", as she is, right now, questioning his authority and his leadership, steady and standing still, hands in her hips – and, tell me, what are you planning of telling him? Just for curiosity, c'mon, Summers, I'm having a terrible day, humour me."

"I'll ask him to come out and say we met, that he believes in us and he is leaving Frisco to us. I'll tell him that I want him to leave out town, and that he can go to fight all the battles he wants wherever he wants, but not here and not against us"

"Talk? You want to talk with him? – she points her right index at him, in his chest, her eyes again red in fury and anger, ready to explode, to let it go, as her voice is now getting higher by the second – you want to talk with him and let him go? He is a sociopath, and we swore to protect the world from people like him! You can't simply gives him your back 'cause he isn't a bloody mutant or an alien invader!"

"Yes, he is, but he is a psycho-sociopath who rules the world, who calls the rules, and we've to play according to them, if we want to have a chance to win. – as she retreats her finger, crossing again her arms and still facing, mad, him, he pauses for a sec, remaining serious, but calmer, like hoping to calm her down too – you hate Osborn, I get it, and I know you have all the rights to be, forgive me the euphemism, mad with him. He almost killed you. He almost killed your best friends. He tried to kill your family…"

"he did- she almost whispers, looking away for a fraction of second – my bro is practically dead because of him"

"you have to be mad about it. You have to want to hurt him and hurt him badly. But I'm the leader here. You don't question my authority, not now. You do such, and they win – he pauses – and if I don't play following his rules… as Anole said, and I'm pretty sure I heard you agreeing with him, he is the law now, and there's nothing we can do about it. For now."

"for now?" she questions him, sad in her eyes, uncertain about what the "for now" could means.

"Yes, for now" he smirks, again that smirk of satisfaction and enthusiasm only a strategist like him could get while thinking about solutions.

"What the…" she turns, but isn't looking at the TV, more like at the ceiling, closing her black eyes a little, like to focus her view on something, but it's something she can't see, not with her eyes, and not exactly with her telepathy either.

"What's she looking at?" Bobby Drake, alias Iceman, who was close to them, looks at the girl, questioned look on his still young face.

"An electro-magnetic detonation, like some sort of code… of programming… has been released in the air."

"Please, don't tell me it's Erik again. I'm not sure I could take to see him with them…"

"No, I've already seen…felt it… a long time ago… when we were looking for the professor, after we come back from Japan, you remember?" **_[NOTE: It happened at the time of the Zero Tolerance Saga, when Chris first joined the X-men after the Onslaught "accident"]_**

"What the… but it' been years! What about it?"

"It seems like the frequency of activation of Prime Sentinels… not exactly the same… but whatever it is, it's damn close to what originated those monsters."

**CONTINUE!**

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Now, you'd think that i'd tell you to go to review this story, right? No, sotty, for once, you're wrong, because right now, right here for you, for one night onlythe new second feature, that will keep us company every few months.......

_**BLACKDRAGON SPECIAL #1 **_

**_ANALYZING CHRIS _****_featuring Doc Samson_**

**_(OR A BRAND NEW, RE-TELLING OF THE EVENTS THAT BROUGHT TO ISSUE #1 OF BLACKDRAGON!)_**

"Christine Addison? The doctor is waiting for you…" As soon as the door opens up and a man in his 40s leaves the cabinet, Christine leaves her seat in the waiting room and goes through the same door the man went before. Biting the internal part of her inferior lip, hands in her pockets, the brown-head with black eyes goes direct to the small red sofa, sitting on it at crossed legs, arms on the back of the same piece of furniture, and look lost somewhere out of the window, in the view of Central Park.

"Did you do what I asked you to?" The green-haired mountain turns the recorder off even before to speak, knowing already her too well, and, from his seat, he observes her.

"Samson, what I tell you, it's just behind you and me, right?" She takes a proper position, almost jumping from her previous spot to her new one, and look at him in the eyes, like to read him, or to ask him something.

"You know the rules, Christine. I can tell them what I think of you, but not what you tell me. – he answers her with a grin, as he grossed his hands at the height of his right knee – neither to the director of SHIELD"

"Do I really have to?" she bites again the lip, and, again, a bit annoyed, looks outside the window.

"This kind of exercise is often used by addicts when they go to meetings for the first time, to introduce themselves to the others. And it helps in understanding where the problem comes from and how to solve it. – sceptical, he looks at her, arching his green eyebrows – I thought you went to some AA meetings with your brother…"

"First – she says, still looking outside, underlining the numbers with her fingers – we weren't that close at the time. Second, the names stands for something, it means that not everybody can go. Third, I know what the problem is, and I'm not an addict, since I don't smoke, drink and I'm not into drugs. It's even been a life since the last time I had sex, so it's not that either…"

"Christine…" again he arches his eyebrows at her.

"Ok, ok, I got it, boss, the sooner we start, the sooner I'm out of here…"  
"I could stop you to ask you some questions…"

"If you are worried about the fact that I could improvise or lose the strand, you have to know – she grins, a lock of brown hair covering the right side of her face – which it's something that never happens to me. It's the reason I'm a genius…"

_My name is Christine Addison-Stark, but for my friends I'm just Chris. Half American and half English, I'm a young engineer, a specialist in electronic and electro-mechanical, former MIT student… but that was a long time ago. _

_When I was 13, I met a certain Alec Addison; we had a long relationship, we even get married not so long after we both turned 18. Although no one believed in us, it lasted, until, one day, he died. And, something like a year and an half later, I'm still, well, alone. It was very hard at the beginning, but now, now it's a way easier, because I've got a lot of good friends, and then, there's my brother, too._

"That's all you have to tell me about him? – Len asks her, looking at her, curious – that you met him at 13 and get married at 18 and then he died?"

"It's not like there's that much to tell, really…" she still looks outside the window. But Len knows her well enough to understand she is just trying to skip the subject.

"Have you two been together for the whole 11 years? Did you never have second thoughts about your story, or giving up to temptation?"

"well, before to marry him, I had a crush on my best friend, it lasted just a couple of weeks, then I understood that he was just a friend, more like a brother, but Alec has been jealous of him even after we got married. I think – she continues – he has been jealous of him until he died…" _he died because of me, _she mentally adds, almost without noticing that she transmitted him the thought.

"You spoke about your brother… let's go on with him."

_My dear big brother, the famous Anthony "Tony" Stark, industrialist, rich playboy, armoured Avenger better known as Iron Man, and now, director of SHIELD, too._

_We have a particular relationship, and always had. I still remember when we were kids, we had such a strong bond, and I was like his shadow! Well, the truth is, I was like him, a little genius, and, having problems in hanging out with the "kids" of my own age, I preferred stay with my big brother and his friends, who were a way more interesting than mines. Can you believe that I see those years as the most beautiful ones of my life? I was so happy, we both were. Still childish, I believed that this happiness was going to last forever, but, shortly after, I found out that I was wrong. After the loss of our parents, things started to change, drastically. Each day, I saw my brother became darker and darker, furtherer and furtherer. As I told before, I was still a child, and I didn't totally understand what was going on, what was happening to him, and, like most children, I started to believe it was my fault. That, until one day I saw him while he was putting his armour on… he was Iron Man, and he was keeping it secret from me. I was so angry, that I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. I became more distant, darker, and, when I found out something very important about me, I decided to keep it secret. I decided to not tell him I was a mutant… a telepath and a telekineth. I hadn't the intention to keep it secret forever, at least from him, because, still, I continued to repeat to myself that my brother was going to return to me, damn, he had to return to me! But, again, I was wrong, because things started to go even worse; at this point we were so distant that reconciliation was almost impossible. So, I finally decided to go on with my life, leaving Tony out of it; I decided to give a real try to my relationship with Alec, I moved in with him, I married him, I even changed my surname in "Addison", and, over all, I, we left the USA for my native land, England. Yes, because, genetically speaking, I'm not a Stark (you remember that I told you I'm half American and half English, right?); my real parents, Michael and Tanya Johnson, were Howard Stark's employees, and died less than 4 years after my birth, in a car accident. _

"What do you remember about your real parents?"

"What I remember about them is almost nothing. To me, it's just like they never existed. I just see my life after I become a Stark. To me, Howard and Maria are my parents. And Tony is my brother. I've always felt like we were really related… well, almost always. Things went relatively well, until he was kidnapped. Once come back, he was different, I couldn't understand why. I couldn't for quite a long time… and it's not thanks to him that I found out what's going on with him."

"Yes, you told me about it… about the fact that he never told you he was Iron Man…"

"I thought we've already talked about it…"

"Ok, as you whish… let's get going on."

_Ok, well, returning to the main topic, in England, I started a new, happy, life, thanks to the help of some new friends me and Alec met along the way: while we were in Britain, we met the super-group called Excalibur. I helped them a couple of times (although the first time happened just for a case), and, in exchange, they helped me to find my real goal: I decided that I had to use my powers to help the world, to make it a better place; I decided to become a hero, a heroine called Blackdragon, as one of the figures from the Middle-aged mythology I always liked so much._

_But again, when my life was starting to became a little more decent, my world turned upside down: because, in a dark day, I found out about a creature called Onslaught, and about what "it" did to my brother and many other heroes. I decided to return to the USA for a while, although Alec didn't accept my decision, creating a fracture between us, and once here, I decided to confront the one and only reason Onslaught was born in the first place, the one and only guilty for Tony, Avengers and F4's deaths… Charles Xavier. One of the most powerful mutants of the planet, he confessed me many things: that he already knew about me and my powers, that he was observing me from a while; he told me more about the X-Men than what I already knew about, he narrated me what events bring to Onslaught's birth, and, over all, about one of the other many secrets Tony had; Charles told me about a secret society, called "The Illuminati", formed by the two of them plus Namor, Doctor Strange, Reed Richards and Black Bolt. Charles told me about one of his own secrets, one no one knew about, a secret about an agency called XSE, Xavier Security Enterforces, a unit of mutant secrets agents at his service. He told me about it because he wanted to ask me to become his new agent; he told me I had some potential. I not only believed him, but I forgave him, too, and so, I accepted, I became a XSE agent, like the woman now known as Sage already was, and when, time after, the heroes come back from wherever they were, I, well, I accepted to spy on Tony, too. It was like a little revenge for his behaviour towards me during the previous years, and I know it was stupid, maybe this is one of the reasons I started to regret it something like a week later. But I had given my word to Charles, and so I continued, until he told me I was now needed in an other place, so I did as he ordered me, and I went away. After a while I returned, for my own reasons and for others, but I was still full of regrets, but now, I was really alone, and I decided to escape from my life, again._

"We've already talked about it, don't we? You've decided to come back after Genosha… May I ask you how it felt to be there?"

"There wasn't a person trying to crucifix me every day; that was a good enough start."

"Did your husband know of your double life?"

"Alec couldn't lie to my telepathic mind, and so I adopted a "don't lie, don't keep secrets" policy with him."

"And he accepted it?"

"He thought I was always right."

"How did you live there? He was a human, and Genosha was a mutant tyranny."

She turns to look at him, eyes red, rage and madness in them, but it's with a soft voice that she speaks with him "Genosha was a monarchy" she pointes out.

"I asked you about Alec"

"Genosha was open to everyone. Erik didn't hate everyone, just the ones that tried constantly to kill us. And, in the end, it happen that he was right. I mean, look at what happened… more that 16 millions of human beings were slaughtered there, just because many of them were different."

"Ok, well, maybe it is better if we came back to the main topic…"

_I panned to stay away for a bit longer, even forever, but during the last 9 months, too much happened, to me and Tony as well, and I had to come back, for the both of us. Tony is alone as I was, he needs someone who could help him, maybe me. And so, here we are…_

"How did the reunion go?"

"I knew you were going to ask it… so here there is the exact recap of our joyfully family reunion…."

_Sitting on a chair in his office at Stark Towers, I look outside one of the windows, wondering about what's going to happen, as I see him enter in the room, still wearing his armour. I try to read his mind, a bad habit hard to loose, but I fail; not so strange, I think that maybe he has some kind of psy-firewall or something like that. I don't know exactly why, but I can't look in his eyes. He tries to look at me, in my brown eyes, but as I did with his mind, he fails; avoiding eye-contact, we both remain in silence for a while._

_"I'm… glad that you decided to return from wherever you were" false. There's no sign of happiness in his voice, I don't need my powers to see it. He tries again to look at me, in my eyes, but again I look outside that damn window, still in silence._

_"Listen Chris, I know that you went through a lot, but – he pauses, putting his armoured hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him – but this isn't an excuse for what you did to me and to Reed, too. After all, he was your teacher at MIT, after you graduated you became friends, and then, look at what you did to us…"_

_"I don't know what you are talking about" Again, I try to avoid eye-contact with him. Liar, I'm really a bad liar. And I used to be a spy. Well, it looks like I was a bad one. _

_"Chris, please, I'm not an idiot. I know who and what you are, and what you did, too. That you worked for Xavier, and, and… and I forgive you. You are my sister after all; we are a family, right?"_

_Part of me wants to tell him what I think about him, to remember him all the times I needed my "family" and he wasn't at my side, but I can't. He has me. Because he is giving me the one and only thing that I need, that I want, and I still could have: my old family, or at least a small piece of it, back. _

_"Have you here, it's really important for me. It means a lot. And in my heart – he pauses again, lowering his eyes – I just hope that you are here because you want to support me, to stay at my side."_

_He can speaks about family for all the time, if he wants, but I don't know if this is still his nature – the one of a man who wants a piece of his past back, his life with his family – because what I think it's that he isn't asking me if I'll be at my brother's side, he is asking Blackdragon if she will support the SHRA or not, if she will be an obstacle or not. _

_A little sad, I look in his blue eyes. I don't know if he is right or wrong about this Super-Hero Civil War, but, right now, I don't care. I know that, one day, I'll eventually have to take a real stand, choosing which side I'll be on, but this is neither the right place nor moment, because I'm having my old Tony back, doesn't matter if he is pretending or if it's not going to last, I'm content with I'm having right here and now. _

_"Tony, you are my family, and whatever mistakes we did in the past, whatever will happen in the future, it's something it will remain. Whatever happens, I'm on your side". Or at least, I'm on your side for now._

"Is it the truth?"

"Are you asking me if it was what I meant or what happened?"

"You're world worst liar, and Tony knowing you was a spy proves it. No, I mean, if you really meant what you told him, about being on his side for having a family again, because you fully support him and the SHRA…"

"I think that the SHRA is bullshit, and that it will not end well, like any other kind of registration. Rachel Grey saw this coming, even tried to prevent it, but looking at the event, I'm not sure she did it."

"You mean that…"

"I mean that I love my brother, but that I think that he could be wrong about it, and when the times will come, if it will come, I want to be the one to stop him. That's all. And – she pauses as she is already at the door, ready to go – get used to call me by another name… say hi to Chris Addison and welcome back to Chris Stark."

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Ok, now you can really hit that damn button, and stay tuned to see how the Utopia will bring to the Blackdragon and what Osborn wants from our favourite Stark!


	34. X Men and Dark Avengers: Utopia part 2

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**The Utopia Story-line featured in Uncanny X-men and Dark Avengers ( not completely, but something like an half of it.) and the one-shot X-Men: Exodus (with quick references to the few issues of X-Men Legacy connceted with such event)

* * *

**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #32 - UTOPIA (PART TWO)**

**featuring the Uncanny X-men and the Dark Avengers**

_Graymalkin Industries, headquarter of the X-men…_

"this is it, people, this is when we shift from defence and observation to offence. We're boxing in a very small ring, and it's about to get intense… and time is very much of the essence, so I'll be quick and I'm going to talk to all of you together…" Scott is talking with part of his X-Men, and, while he does such, he knows. He knows too well that is world is going upside down. He knows too well that the last 48 hours has been hell. He knows he has been betrayed by his owns _You've been betrayed by Emma, as I told you it was going to happen sooner or later__, _at some point Chris remarked, remembering him the talk they had at Jean's funeral, answering to his allusion to the fact that she wasn't objective since her "issues" with Osborn (at this point, she added that he likes euphemisms too much, and no, she isn't having issues with Osborn, because she doesn't see her almost murder as an issue).

"Dani, if you are sure about it – Dani Moonstar nods – then, goes to Vegas, and don't you dare to come back until you'll have a "yes" as answer. Bets – he says, turning to Betsy – ETA?"

"2 days – she grins – or 3 if things go bad." She says, the European but Asian ninja, smirking, showing him 2 and then 3 fingers of her right hands, her body framed by a wetsuit with a small X red and yellow logo on her chest.

"We need it faster, don't sleep. Nina.." he says, turning to Domino, while Dani and Bets are already leaving.

"Why is she wearing a wetsuit?" Domino asks, suddenly, serious, as the world could depend upon this, looking directly in the eyes of her old lover's father.

"We don't have time for questions. I need X-23, just for a bit, ad once we're back, you'll gather your team and you'll go to rendezvous point with Logan"

"And here I though he was trapped in Ny… didn't Osborn had the city in lockdown?"

"I'm pretty sure it never stopped us before" Chris, dressed with her "new" all black costume from her already gone days with MI-13, smirks, waiting for her orders, lining against a wall with her hands behind her head, like she was starting to enjoy the entire situation, and, de facto, is true: she is foretasting what's to come, the sweet taste of victory, because, in her mind, she already sees it: it doesn't care if Osborn wins or loses, this thing will, in some way, help his fall, and she has all the intentions to help it.

"Chris, this isn't a joke - he looks at her, red-lenses sunglasses on, as she shifts into a more "professional" posture, facing him at crossed arms. – you sure of it?"

"I'm always sure of what I do, Summers. Thought you already knew at this point…" she can't help but smirk again, as they both leave in direction of the garages.

"We gather everybody with a bit of training. I know it's probably not safe out there for us, but with these sentinels or whatever they are out there… - he pauses, looking like lost, like he doesn't really know what to do – we can't sit here on our hands and hope for everything to end well, we have to know that the situation is taken care of"

"You don't trust Emma's team - she says, not question, but something she is sure of, pointing out at it without even using her mind-powers – and, well, I don't blame you. I mean, I recognised few of them… one is Pointer, heard he become addict to sucking powers from mutants, and that the whole Collective thing drove him insane. And I saw… Mimic, right? I saw in his files that he has never been exactly in his right mind. And I'm pretty sure that even Logan's boy is not that normal under the skin. I wonder – she says as she puts on the helmet and jumps on the motorcycle Scott gives her – why Osborn likes so much having crazy people like them or Sentry around…"

"People are dying, Chris – he says to reassure the others about why he is doing it and trying to stop her from being that sarcastic – I don't know enough about Emma's team to be sure they'll take care of the situation as they should. – he stops, turning to look at the "children – everything's will be ok"

_You should stop to make promises you'll not be able to maintain, Summers._

_San Francisco, NOTHEAST…_

_"Hate to break your vision of a free nation, Summers, and hate to disagree with you again _– Chris, her computer-sunglasses with red lenses on, says mentally to her leader as, everyone, thanks to binoculars, on the roof of a building close to the place where a battle that sees engaged the forces of what, according to Chris, are a new twisted kind of sentinels, and Emma's team, is watching carefully what's going on, ready to intervene if necessary. – _but if they spot us here, they'll not ask for Warren's permission before to come in, just because he happens to own the place. To be honest, I'm pretty sure Osborn will obtain a search warrant without questions just because a well known mutant and member of the X-men happens to own the place. I already told you that, you have to stop doping promises you can't maintain__" _she didn't dare to say it at loud, not because she respects the man too much, but simply because the team Scott choose is made, mostly, by youngsters, and she feels like there's no need to scare them. Not more, at least, this whole situation, this whole "no one knows what's going on, what to do and how things will turn out" is creeping the hell out of them already too much.

"I know what you think, you think we should be out there fighting against that things. But we can't, not right now. But if we get spotted, we get caught. If we get caught, we get disappeared. Not arrested or detained, disappeared. But the second they can no longer handle the situation, screw the disappearing, we get involved. But now, it'd be a pointless sacrifice- he pauses, as he again does the smirk of the smart strategist – we observe them. We study them, how they think, how they move in battle... let's do our homework"

"civilians protected, injured evacuated and, since the hostiles were just mindless and soul-less machines, not a single one was left standing – Chris removes the sunglasses as Emma's team is teleported away by Cloak's mantle – they are good at this, that' sure. But they don't fight together. Not like a team should, at least. They were all fighting alone. Together, but alone"

"And it's how we beat the. Not with numbers or powers, not with "divide and conquer"…we fight as one – Scott turns to look at his "soldiers" – we fight together, together as one. We believe in each other. We trust each other, we act accordingly… it will be over even before they could see what hit them"

"Yeah, and, let's say we are lucky enough to stop Emma's team- Bobby asks, crossing his arms, thoughtful, at his boss and friend – what do we do about Osborn's team? You know, the mighty and real Avengers he is so proud of?"

"You? Nothing Bobby, I'm already dealing with this situation with another squad….- He pauses, and then turns to Chris – are you completely sure of this, Chris? You are still in time"

She grins, smiling, foretasting again what's going to come. "Nah, besides, the 3-in-1, together, are more powerful then me. in few minutes it will be full of HAMMER agents. Until then, you'll have all the time to retreat. – she pauses, and, facing him again, gets as serious as she could – I'm still to valuable for him and his purpose, Summers. He'll not dare to torture me or even kill me.

"Last time I checked, he did try to kill you." He states, serious as her.

"I'm pretty sure it was only the Thunderbolts' doing. Osborn is crazy, but not stupid. I'm of no value to him dead, Tony would never risk his life and the knowledge of all the secret identities of the planet for a mere coffin; the life of his precious little sister, on the other hand…"

"he could still torture you."

"I'm not going to back off, Summers – she answers him for the rhyme, cold and serious, like she was calculating all the pros and the versus – he'll not torture me too much. He'll not hurt me. he can't risk me dying. Relax, sweetie – she smirks again, ready to fly down from the roof – I've played all the possible scenarios is my head, and it always ends with me as a fully health living being.- she paused, still grinning evilly - so, do you prefer me to let me get arrested here or at St. Francis Hospital?"

"What's going on at St. Francis?- Bobby asks them, still looking at the empty Warfield – by the way, I thought we weren't going to let us get _disappeared _" he underlines the last word, a weird tone, like worried or even serious, so unlike him.

"Oh, please, for the last time, and I'm even going to spell it – she crosses her arms and looks at the sky, exasperated and a little annoyed that everyone keeps repeating herself to be careful about Osborn . he. Needs. Me. Alive! He needs me as his little trophy, for God's sake! He needs me to show the world that the only good Stark is a captive Stark! – she snorts, and comes back to her usual cold safe, but with still that annoyed look and faces again Cyclops – Emma's talking telepathically with Jerk Nr. One, but there are communications from Hammer Agents reporting the eye of the hurricane being at San Francis, where our beloved Mr. Trask was receiving medical treatment."

"You against Emma?- Scott smirks, massaging his chin.- that'd be fun…"

"And quite hot" Bobby whispers under his breath.

"C'mon boss, you know me. like all good billionaires, I'm theatrical and full of myself. And besides…"

"I don't trust Omega, Mimic and Daken, they'd probably kill you. No offence, but stick with the plan."

"Guess that I'll have to deal with the no-theatrical-entrance, then…"

_Alcatraz, the same evening, Tuesday evening…_

"Ah, Dr. Stark, so nice of you to join us… c'mon, why don't you take a seat?" As she looks in front of herself, her mind dizzy from the power-dumper injected into her system, hands and feet in chains, she remains astonished and speechless for a millisecond, but, then, as the figure who's approaching her, at the side of Osborn, gets closer, she understands, and she remembers. She remembers that's not Hank McCoy, not the one she knew, at least. This is like the old Hank, but different. This one is evil. An evil crazy genius with no inhibitions. And, at the though of what he could do to her, now that he is powerless, she freezes. She has heard the cry of pain and fear, once arrived there few minutes ago. And she has heard the inhuman, crazy laugh of… satisfaction and happiness from whom she thinks being Weapon Omega.

"Now, now, now… be a good boy, McCoy, and let her stay. Once I'll be done with this young lady, you'll have her all for yourself. - Norman takes her chin in his right hand, forcing Chris to look at him in the eyes, lowering a little and lifting her at the same time so that they could be at the same level – you've become quite an high-profile, Stark, but dealing with you and your brother is in my top list. You'll have your trail, I'll let see the world that I'm a good decent man and I have nothing personal against you just because you happen to be Director Stark's little sis, besides, said brother will never come to me if you'd be dead."

"Tony's not stupid. He know that my life isn't worthy the location of the SHRA"

"You and your insignificant older brother always like to pretend you don't have an heart, that you are cynical and cold and all science and no soul, but, c'mon, when you screwed your life live on TV he immediately come to the rescue… so, yes, I think he'll come to me. also because I think you are a little full of yourselves, and have the tendency to lay your guard down. I mean, look at what it happened to you. You just wanted to mess with my men, and, instead, got captured. – he pauses, as he is going to leave – too bad you didn't kill me when you had the chance."

"I just wanted to lobotomize you – she smirks, blood leaving the angle of her mouth – you're not worth hellfire."

"Oh, please, I'm pretty sure that, once McCoy will have you in his "omega machine" you'll whish to have actually killed me… you think you are an angel? You think you are worthy being an Avenger? Well, miss, last hour news: you're not. You're scum, like your whole family."

"we'll put you down. I don't know how, but we'll do it, and I'll make sure you'll rest in hell until doomsday, and I'll go to dance on your grieve drinking champagne – she smirks – I bet that even your firstborn will be there. Heard you did few bad things to little Harry, Right?"

"Bring her away…. Or I'll end giving her to McCoy!" he shouts, as she still smirks, as the guards secure her inside a cell, and she smiles, foretasting the fall of Osborn…

_Alcatraz, Monday Evening…_

"No, no, no, no! Osborn, they are gone, all of them!" McCoy screams in terror, his whole work ruined and lost, all his precious mutant material, and all his guinea pigs…

"Yeah, well, sorry McCoy, but it looks like I led the X-Men to your little torture camp, you bloody sick Nazi – Chris says as she appears like from nowhere in a shining and bright down light, with Magic and the whole X-Force tram at her side, while she is finally free from the chains and, although still bleeding, almost better, now that she has managed to clean her system, threatening the inhibitors like a virus – I still have to understand why nobody takes me seriously. I mean – she says as she grins, cleaning the blood from her mouth, lifting a little force-field between them – hello, omega class mutant here? I'm a Technarc, you forgot it? Did you seriously thought I was going to go down so easily? Sweet lord, I've fought the Skrulls, and you think that a brunch of amateurs like those could do me any harm?"

"too bad there are no cameras here- suddenly, Daken and the rest of the team of Osborn's X-Men enters in what is left of McCoy's lab, the scientist and Omega on the soil, gone while the Wolverines are face to face, claws against claws – now you'll die, and no one will ever know it. Especially you, daddy. You'll die last, and I'll let you see all your friends die slowly and painfully!"

"just try, son, can't say I wasn't waiting for it… - Logan grins, and his grin gets bigger by the second - or hoping."

"Oh, shot up!" As she says so, Emma quickly shifts from her human to her adamant form, and hits Daken on the head, sending him against the wall, as hard as she can, while Namor does the same with Calvin, using his mere half-human body.

"What the…" Chris – and everyone else, but Wolverine- looks at wide eyes, mouth open at the scene in front of her, at Emma changing into her "human" self again and offering, smiling, her hand to Cloak and Dagger, who are doing the same expression… and from the look on her face, and what she'll heard in the following instants, she knows. She knows and she understands that it was all part of a big, master plan. One of the damn plans of Summers. The damn plan he forgot to tell her about when he asked her to let Hammer arrest her. _The sick sun ova.. that's why I don't like him. And I don't stick with his plans. _

"Never doubted you for a second, girl" Logan smiles at the blonde, as, Once Illyana is back, starts teleport them away.

"You have just seconds to decide, children – Emma says offering them her right – whose side are you on? This is your moment. You are used to be persecuted. Hated. Misunderstood. You'd not like to join a club that wants you as a member. And I have a news for you. We all feel the same."

"You… you have a plan? " Cloak asks her, as in terror, not knowing what to do or how to act.

"I guess that's Scott the one who has this big, huge plan going on…" What Chris says is a mere whisper, said while Illyana is brining her away from Alcatraz, to an unknown location- or, at least, unknown to the psych.

"Yes darling – Emma says, smiling – Scott has a plan. As always"

_Asteroid M, Summer's Utopia…_

"the rescued and wounded have already been checked, Slim. Everyone who can fight, is ready. Who had little problem, Elixir and Dagger fixed them" From the deck of one of the palaces of what once was the Asteroid M, re-emerged from the abyss, of the Ocean, the X-men are watching Osborn's team approaching, ready to fight. They knew he was going to react this way. This is the reason Chris smirked for days, even when she was in that prison, barely kept alive, this is the reason she is still smirking.

"Everyone, Battle station. Emma, psychic contact. Let's see if I'm as smart as I think… - he pauses, as the Avengers are leaving the flight – X-23 and Logan… Omega and Daken. Everyone else… scramble."

"May I take Bullseye?" Chris smirks, at crossed arms, as he looks at the man firing arrows at her team-mates

"Bullseye? Osborn dressed up Bullseye as a hero?"Scott, as he looks at the style, understands, and, for maybe the first time, realises, how big what the madmen is doing is.

"You'll need this one again, sweetie – Domino says as she gives her again one of her fully charged pistols – at least now I know what I'll give you for Christmas"

"go join Emma, Charles and the cuckoos"

"What? No kicking ass time for little Chris here?" she sarcastically tell him, gun at her hip, crossed arms.

"You may have been healed, but you're not already in full shape. Archangel will taka care of Bullseye for you. Besides, it will need all your power put together to lobotomize a God.."

"Oh.. – she says not fully understanding – Oh! – she says again, when she realises what he means – you mean, that very, very sick man who should be committed somewhere far, far away form the planet! Never got why everyone like him so much, he is just a psycho schizoid! – she hasn't even stopped to say such, that she is already running at the back of Emma, both dressed in black, like 2 black flashes, running towards the medical bay – I'm coming!"

"Professor?" "Charles?" the two women, almost same age, scream at the unison, going to seat on Charles' bed, and taking his hands on their ones.

"I'm sorry, you were tortured and I…" Emma almost cry desperate while holding him in her arms.

"Emma, Emma, my dear girl, you did your best, that's never less than brilliant – he almost whispers, as both Chris and Emma start to cry, but for very different reasons, and Chris, for once, tries her best to let her mind go empty, blank. She isn't thinking things too nice, and she doesn't want Charles to see… or feel… them. Although he'd deserved.- we have to make them pay. We have to make them stop. We have to avoid this from happening again."

_He knew me from the beginning. He knew me from my birth, almost. He knew my father. He witnessed the death of my parents. When my powers erupted, that day, he stopped me from hurting someone. He brainwashed me. he used me for decades. And all he can think about, while he is here, with me, is Emma. Emma who betrayed us. Emma who tried to kill us…_

"Christine, focus – Emma tells her – I need the help of both of you. This is the last part of Scott's plan. Sentry is big, god-like. Last time something like that happened, I build a white room inside his mind, we need to come back there, form where I can lobotomize god…"

"A psy-cry… her mind's screaming… – Chris' voice is merely a whisper, Emma's mental voice into her mind, her pain in her and Charles Xavier's mind – she can't hold it…!"

As she says so, a psyonic wave of energy leaves Emma's body, so powerful that not even when Jean or Rachel were manifesting the Phoenix Power Chris has felt so much power…… and, before they could jump out the bed, Emma's on the soil, her body changing into diamond from blood and bones, while Chris and Charles are holding her hands, closed eyes, the other hand on her face

"We had to transform you into diamond, Emma, we're sorry, but…"

"But you have to stay in your diamond state, no matter what, you must remain fixed in diamond…"

"what… why… where…" she almost whispers, trying to cry, to let her voice out…

"You didn't release it all, Emma… there's still a sliver of the void… and it's inside you…"

_Epilogue 1: Utopia, or the Former Asteroid M, outside the coast of the California._

"_We have been, and always shall be, sworn to protect a world that hates and despise us, only now, we shall all be free_ _– _As Black joins Summers on the deck of the former Asteroid M, now called both as Utopia or Mutant Island, the mutant, dressed with street clothes, looks at sea, crossed arms, quoting him; once at his side, she doesn't look at him, just at the horizon – I wonder if you've heard Osborn's side of the story… Already heard it, Slim? – as he still looks at the sea, he remains in silence, as he hasn't even noticing her presence- Summers?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry… I was few miles away – he says, turning, as, in the meanwhile, they've been joined by Emma, trapped inside her diamond form and still wearing her black queen outfit – once taken a cup of coffee, I'll start dealing with all our problems, One at time. Promise."

"Well, you did it; you created a homeland for us, again." Emma says, embracing her almost husband from the back.

"We did it, every one of us. There re no longer just mutants, Ems… but X-men."

"Sorry to broke the magic – Chris says making her presence noticeable again, looking at them in the face - May I remind you that the last time the mutant population lived on an island it didn't work that well? Strategically speaking this isn't exactly the best choice. In case of attack, the escapes are…"

"This time it will be different." He firmly says, smiling happy.

"Right and you know it because…."

"I have faith, and I know I'm not alone. Because it's how we beat Osborn."

"Hate to repeat myself again, Summers, but… have you heard Osborn's side of the story? His words were, and I'm quoting him, _"__The mutant menace as led by the militant hate-monger Scott Summers, has evacuated American soil once and for all. What they call Utopia, I call a prison. Let them stay there, because, as long as they do, we've won." _According to CNN, 76% of the American Population is happy we are here, and the same amount of people was scared to death by us. That's not winning the war, Scott. This can merely be seen as a won battle. Merely. – She says, pointing at him – Charles created the X-Men so that one day we could walk side by side with the other humans. What I see here… it's not different from a reservation. It's not different from a gulag. Or a ghetto. Or from a concentration camp. People will not stop to fear us because we're isolated…. They'll be more! We should be among them, we should walk side by side with them, show them that the bastard is wrong! I don't care if we'll exist for still few decades or millennia, if we are in the verge of extinction or we are now reborn as a dominant species… I still believe in what Charles taught me. And this – she remarks pointing at the landscape – this isn't what I signed for when I joined the X-men. Secrets and lies, I can deal with. I can even accept the fact that you didn't tell anybody Emma was still with us. But induce people to believe that we think we are better than them, as they'll see it… I'm sorry Scott, but I simply can't. – as she says so, she starts to walk in direction of the entrance of the palace, just stopping before to come in, to turn, hands in her pockets, to look at them – once the teleporters will have done with brining people in, I'll ask someone a ride to somewhere on the land. Even with Emma stuck in her diamond form, you have Charles and the Cuckoos as you telepaths, and you now have Hellion and his telekinetic powers… and Bets with the best of both worlds. And don't forget a whole team of expert in technology and Danger herself… I'm no longer needed here, and, frankly, I don't see why I should stay where I don't feel I belong… and in a place I don't believe in. - she pauses again, giving him the shoulders, hands in the pockets of her pants – I may remember something about you telling me the samest thing, and that, if I didn't trust you, I could come back from where I belong. And this is what I'm doing. I'm sorry Scott, but I don't like what happened to the dream, what you made of it. I know you think it's what you had to do… but this s wrong. Cold-blood murder is wrong. The fact that is Logan to do the killings… well, Scott, this doesn't mean that your hands are clean just because you only give orders."

"Chris, I... – he pauses, knowing where she is going, knowing that, no matter what, she'll never say anything about that, because secrets are her things, but not homicides - As soon as she is over, I'll ask Magik to bring you somewhere safe."

"Christine – Emma says, stopping her again, forcing the girl to turn to look at herself – I'd like to let you know that I put aside our differences a long time ago, and I'd like to see you one day do the same – Emma coldly says, crossed arms, like she was telling it because she has to and not because she believes in it (or, simply, because, in her diamond form, she can no longer feel, like her "daughters" after they shifted theri hearts into theri diamond form, permanentely)– what I'm trying to say, is that you are one of us. And you'll always be welcome here."

Chris turns fully, alight smile on her lips. _Didn't know you were that mature, Frost._ She mentally tells her, hoping that, although stuck in her crystal form, she could feel her message "I... – she says, a little unsure about what to say – we'll see what the future will bring us. – She goes near Scott and shakes his hand – despite our differences and our past… I didn't mean that what you are doing here is wrong… I can't already say if it is or not, but it's simply that it's not how I see things… it's wrong in my eyes. I want to change things, but I want to do it in my own way… but 've spent so many years in the darkness, pretending to be something I wasn't, lying and pretending...I need to be the person I know I can be. - She smiles, a unsure smile, like she was finallying forgiving herself, as she walks back inside, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket - Besides, as I said, whenever you'll need me… whenever the real X-Men will need me… you'll just have to call, and I'll be glad to help. Getting rid of me ins't gonna be that easy, Slim."

"So, this is a goodbye, right?" Scott asks her, grinning.

"Let's call it a beginning, Summers."

_Epilogue 2, meanwhile, somewhere else…_

"Today, Ares, we are making a list, a list of things in this world that need to be different than the way they are. Let's look at this. – As Ares, god of War, son to Zeus, walks into the lab-room of Osborn, said man grins, evilly, with a cybernetic glove of his armor on, showing the deity images of the recent events- There was the mutant problem. And now the problem is solved. But I wonder, why is the Hulk still allowed to run around? Why is Tony Stark not in jail? Why is Spider-man free? Why Clint Barton and his Avengers haven't been taken care of? Why Nick Fury is allowed to train young terrorist? And why a well known one, like Christine Stark, that helped her brother to perpetrate his war crimes and knew of an incoming invasion, walks free, and is even allowed to be part of the British Intelligence?"

"Sounds like a hit-list"

"You think so? Oh, no, no, no…this is a "to do list", a "must to do list". We need to change the status quo, my friend, because, as far as I know, the old status quo… as it was before us, with Fury and Stark and their Avengers…. It doesn't work. "

"Looks like you already have one."

"Yes... – he grins as Ares leaves- but now we need a plan, don't we?" and, as he says so, he looks at the piece of paper he has in his pockets, squared, hand-written in capital letters.

_NEUTRALIZE CLINT BARTON AND HIS AVENGERS._

_ELIMINATE DAREDEVIL_

_KILL FRANK CASTLE_

_KILL NICK FURY_

_NEUTRALIZE/ELIMINATE THE STARKS_

_NEUTRALIZE BRUCE BANNER_

_CONTROL THE WORLD_

_KILL SPIDER-MAN_

_ELIMINATE THE X-MEN_

_KILL SCOTT SUMMERS_

_Epilogue 3, Somewhere in New York…_

In a flash of light, they appear on a tall roof, Illyana with her uniform, Chris with normal clothes, nothing with her if not her sunglasses.

"So, what are you doing here in Brooklyn? Is that one of those things you and your group usually do or…" The blonde, once again a teen, can't finish the phrase- she doesn't need to, just looks at the woman she once known as they both were adult, and Chris now is… what, 10, 13 years older than her? Of course, they didn't know each other at the time- and when did meet her, before she "died", she was again a kid, but, somehow, the thought is… it is just weird.

Chris, hand son hips, the red cyber-sunglasses as a circlet, doesn't answer: she looks at the building in front of them – one of the many buildings in front of them – and, taking a deep breath, closes her eyes and smiles a little, one content smile – not a smile of happiness, but the smile of someone who's trying to get to certain point in her own life and feels like she is close to.

"No, definitely not. - She smiles again, still looking in front of them, the fresh air moving her red-brown hair, sending hazelnut locks in front of her eyes. – I didn't belong there" she adds, a small voice, extremely low.

"I hope you'll be good – Illyana adds as she opens a portal to come back "home", turning back to give a last goodbye to the known woman – and that you'll find where you belong, for what's worth it."

As Illyana is already gone, Chris, leaning against the stones of the wall, looks again at the same building, smiling, taking a last breath to take courage. "I think I just did it…"

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Ok, now you can really hit that damn button, and stay tuned to see what the future will bring Chris now that the Utopia is born...

Next: Betrayed and used by her own leader, The Blackdragon has left the sunny Frisco for the west Coast... What's gonna wait for her in New York? And what's Osborn's plan for his enemies? find out next month as "The List- Battle of Patriots", featuring old and new allies, hits!


	35. New Avengers: The List

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**The List story-line featured in the one shots Avengers:the list and new avengers annual

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #33 - THE LIST(1)**

**featuring the New Avengers**

"Osborn is not Hitler!"

As she enters, undetected and in silence, in what used to be Steve Roger's home, now own by his WW II sidekick and used by the "renegade" Avengers as their hideout place, Christine "Blackdragon" Stark-Johnson is surrounded by shouts, shouts of people she knows, voices she recognised. Still dressed with simple streets clothes (Jeans and a black shirt) she made from her X-men costume using her mental powers, can't help but be wonder why, of all the places, she is there. There, with the Avengers… something she has never been, as recently she has remembered quite well. But now… now, as she puts a hand on her hearth and breaths to try to calm down, she can't help but see how things are going for them… how things are going for everyone, and she isn't that sure that Spider-man is wrong.

"Really? Because, look, there's a mutant concentration camp right there on TV!" She hears Clint's voice, she hears it getting higher as he tries to get to the point, to prove them that he isn't wrong, and, knowing that it's also her parts that he is taking; she can't help but smile, just a little. But… but she has to have a say in this. They don't know what's really going on over there, she is the only one, and she has to say something…

"According to Mr. "I'm the leader of the X-Men since I was 15", that's everything but a concentration camp… for them it's the new mutant nation, a new Genosha. – as she enters in the room, casually leaning against the doorframe, Chris behaves as nothing happened, as she has always been part of the conversation, hands in the pockets of her jeans and shifting her weight from a foot to the other one, simple white sneakers on – and they are not stuck there. We have, I mean, they have teleporters. The only reason they are still there – she says as she crossed her arms and looks at the ceiling – it's because they want to. - As the avengers remain silent, Chris takes few steps and joins them at the centre of the room, still crossed arms but biting her lips in concern a little, looking at her feet and not directly in their eyes – and I didn't. Scott thinks the mutants just won, but, as I see things, we didn't. Osborn did. And he just brought the mutant hysteria to her historical maximum." Mask-less, she is cold, and firm as she says this last few words. Because she believes in what she is telling them, the same things that, just few hours ago, she told Scott, just before Illyana "Magik" Rasputin helped her to go to NY so she could do things in her own way, a way that's not Scott's one, not just now… not any longer.

"I knew you'd be back, princess… – Clint smirks for few seconds, maybe even less, as he turns to look at what CNN is broadcasting- and here I thought you were trapped in that damn concentration camp… after Mr. "I'm the leader of the world" announced he had you in custody, hell, I've been afraid for you… - he smirks again, pausing – not that I didn't see that coming, you're too smart to let him take you that way."

"Officially, it's a self-proclaimed "mutant nation… and we even are no longer allowed to enter on US soil, air-space or sea. Bet at the end – she pauses, looking at the image of what Scott poetically called "Utopia" – we're what we are, and we've been made to break rules. Scott knows me well enough to understand that I'd be more a problem than a resource, since I didn't agree with him for this solution. And Emma... she can be the ice queen now, and I mean literally, but she is more open then him, AND she seems to not agree that much with the idea of a mutant nation on an island. – She pauses – I hope that, what you asked me after… the Thunderbolts incident… and after the… problem we had with Jim… it was still standing. That proposal, I mean. I think I could be ready to accept. If you still want me, I mean…"

"Ok, well, as I see things – Clint says after having shook hands with the girl he always saw as a little sister – both Jessica and Chris should have a vote here, because they'd side with me!"

"Jeez, I can't believe it! – Spider-man says at open arms, looking at the ceiling, almost shouting – am I really alone in this? Do you all really have the intention of killing him?"

"Ok, although I think it's wrong that you made me vote after, like, 5 second that I've become a member of this team… if I've become a member of the team…- She pauses – listen, I don't know how you feel, but… I'd like to… I whish I could, that it was that simple. Also because I've seen what he is capable of. Osborn is a selfish and arrogant man, with just his own good in mind, who turned an international organization as SHIELD into his personal puppet… few months ago, while I was still working with the MI 13 team, Britain has been invaded by the forces of Dracula, and he refused to help. He tried to kill the whole mutant population of the world. He left me for a whole bloody damn week starving after he got me. He captured Rhodey, and I had the chance to lobotomize psychically him and I didn't, I didn't do it because I couldn't force myself to and now, frankly, I don't want to. Besides……"

"Besides? Besides, what? "

"I think Chris' point is that murdering is wrong" Carol points out, like to ends her sentence, close to the girl she fought with during the Skrull War, joined both soon by Spidey, who crosses his arms and points at Clint at the same time "Murdering isn't just wrong! It's the number one in the top ten of wrong!"

"And – they are joined by Jessica Drew, too, the one Clint though was at his side – it may note solve our problems."

"I hate to say it, but they are right, Clint. I'm not telling it as a mutant or as hero or as a Stark, because those parts of me want to kill him just as much as you do, but I'm talking like a technarc, as the human computer that always analyzes thousands of scenarios pro time – she pauses, low eyes, just to lifts them to look into Clint's blue ones - we kill him now, we become the bad guys. We become the bad guys, he has won. And the status quo he created will stay fixed for decades. Besides, as Spider-Man said, murder is actually wrong, and, sorry, I saw too many evils in the last months to just add this."

"and I thought you were going to side with me… Christ, he almost killed you! And Rhodey's in front of a tribunal for war crimes! – Clint points at her, mad and full of anger – if not for Swordman and Wisdom, you'd be dead by now! You should be the one who wants to kill him the most, after everything he did to you and Tony and Jim!"

"Listen, Clint. When it comes to certain situations, I'm not against murder, really. I mean, you don't really think that, when the vampires invaded Britain I stayed there without doing anything, right? Besides, although I'm against murder… I've been trained to think about the greater good and the lesser evil. I'm not exactly a fan of the "kill one to save thousands" kind of scenario, but I can understand that there's people who believes in it. And… yes. I like revenge. And… of course, I want my revenge, and yes, I hate him for what he did to us but what I'm saying – she pauses, facing him, her eyes as red as when she uses at max rate her powers – what I'm saying is that, right now, this isn't the best decision we can take. I've played those scenarios thousands of times, Clint – she pauses again – and every time it culminates with Osborn's death, things get worse, because we are the good guys, and we are not the ones who are supposed to do this. We're supposed to be better than him. "

"Bobbi?" he says, turning to his wife, without even trying to reply to Chris, stone cold.

"I have to think about it… it's a bad road to take"

"I know it is, but this is extreme! This is one of those situations that…!" he starts to yell.

"If you kill him and you're wrong, you'll not able to take it back. You'll regret it your whole life" Cap says, entering finally in the conversation, still sitting at what used to be his desk.

"So, what, we stay here, sitting in our chairs, and behave as nothing happened?"

"No, No, I say, we go to San Francisco and we help the X-men" Carol says, fiercely.

"They don't want to be helped, they like things as they are" Chris says at low voice, knowing that the Avengers are seeing things different from Scott.

"And, as team leader, I say, we stop hiding…"

"I agree, that's the reason I quitted the X club"

"… and we do what Spidey had to do since high school!"

"That, I don't agree on – she says, a hand on her forehead, a bit exasperated, after mere minutes, by how ,much stubborn Clint may be - The analysis says it will be a mistake, Clint. And, after I got these new powers, I've never been wrong."

"Killing Osborn is just the beginning – cap says, crossed arms, serious – like your friend said, Barton, it will not change things, the new status quo will still be there. At that point, what are you going to do?"

"And what are we going to do once we are San Francisco?"

"That's another good question" Cap continues, just to be stopped by Spidey.

"We sit down and we figure a plan out."

"We sit down? And how the hell is it going to help us and the world? That's your fault! – Clint shouts, madder and madder, pointing at Chris – we could have killed him when he attacked Rhodey, but you, no, you all had to be the saints you are! You know what? I'm done sitting!" As Clint says so, he leaves his chair, literally jumping from it, and leaves the room, slamming the door at his back, shouting at them.

"He didn't mean it, Chris. He isn't blaming you for what Osborn did. He knows it's not your fault, he is simply mad… - Bobbi gently puts her right hand on Chris' same shoulder, seeing how hurt she is from Clint's words, facing her, almost pass the young mutant's body - I'll follow Clint… and I'll talk to him" as these words leave her mouth, in the same instant, tears leaves her blue eyes, drawing lines onto her face, on her pale features. _Otherwise, he'll get himself killed, and I can't allow this. _She adds mentally, heard by anyone but the brown-head telepath, Blackdragon.

Later

"So, what are you going to do about this whole mess, Love?"

Chris and Pete are lying on the top of a hill, on the green, brilliant grass, hugged together, looking at the sunset, the psy-landscape, a sort of room Chris created on the astral plane to have their conversations when they had to be apart. Sitting under an old oak with her knee against the strong trunk, she looks at the fist stars, his head on her lap, his hands on the back of the mass of black hair and her ones on his shoulder.

"I still don't know. I mean – she pauses, breathing heavily, like bearing the weight of the situation – I don't like the fact that Osborn is in charge. And, frankly, I'm quite scared about it…"

"And you are a girl who doesn't get scared that easily…" he smirks, interrupting her, receiving as an answer a quick slap on the head, who just makes them laugh a little.

"Yeah, well, yes, I'm scared by this, by what he could do. But this doesn't mean that…"

"It doesn't mean that you'll jump on your feet ready to do as Barton asks you to and kill the bloody bastard." He lifts his eyebrows, as he ends her sentence, knowing already where she is going to go. They already had this conversation, and he knows that they'd been talking for the equivalent in real time of 3 hours (while it's been just few minutes in the outside world) just about this, maybe not directly, but this is where she is going. This is where everything is leading to.

"I'm not a saint, I know this. I've been a double agent since I was a teen, and that is something to say. And with my recent involvement with X-Force… but… killing Osborn… Actually killing someone… me, killing someone…" she says, overcoming by sadness, as she leans her forehead against his one.

"If only it could mean something, right?" he says, serious again, shifting position so he could sit at her side, looking into her black eyes.

"If we kill him now, publicly, we'll get nothing if not hate from the people we want to help. Osborn's not only playing the role of the patriot, but of the knight who saved the world who's been haunted by the big bad boys. Clint going all public was the biggest mistake ever done; he just gave him the opportunity to let us be seen as some kind of super-powered stalkers. I think we should wait for him to commit a mistake, than defeat him, publicly, showing him to the world for the criminal he is. He is a crazy maniac, and I'm sure he'll soon lose his mind again, and we'll defeat him, but we have to wait for him to make a false step, first, we need the world to understand why we are doing this. Until then… everybody will do as he says. Even now, as he speaks, everybody thinks what he thinks. He says mutants are evil and have to stay recluse, and everybody say we are evil and we have to stay recluse. But… - she pauses, lowering her once sparkling eyes a little –but I can't let go Clint off half-cocked. If he got himself killed, I'd never forgive myself. But I don't believe that doing this now is right. I believe that killing him is right. And I want desperately to believe in Clint, he is like family, but… "

"Ehy, you remember what I told you that evening, before Dracula attacked, while we are at that pub? – He pauses, capturing her forehead into a quick kiss – I told you, "Chris, I've fought many battles, and I've never seen a bastard who doesn't confess his crimes or his plans during a fight… I bet that soon Osborn will be old story and the real Avengers will be where they're supposed to be. He'll lose the war. He'll fall. And when it will happen, we'll be right there drinking champagne, the both of us, and dancing on his grieve…" – he pauses, looking at the stars, the same way he did while during the final battle against Vlad and his army – I told it, and I meant it. I know it will happen; you all just have to be patient. And when you'll be done with him…- this time it's not a pause, he simply stops to talk because he knows she understands what he means, where, with his British charm, with those mesmerizing blue eyes, is going to, and because he thinks it's something he has to show her, something that needs to be shown with facts and not words, and so, as soon as she ends the sentence, he captures, smiling and grinning with eyes and lips, her exquisite and soft lips, as tender as petal of roses, with his ones, a gesture she is quick to reply, happy and quite satisfy.- am I a better kisser in truth or with my mind?"

"Ehy, this is as real as the physical world… this is a place created by my mind, Pete dear, don't forget it…" as she says so, a quick and heavy light surrounds them, and, as soon as Pete Wisdom opens the eyes he covered before to protect them, he sees something new, he hasn't seen before, a new "mindscape" as once Chris called it.

"Bloody hell, you learn something new all the time… like I had no idea – he says grinning, crossing his arms while looking at what's surrounding him, a landscape of pyramids and an ocean, interminable, of dunes of golden sands - there was a hot spring on the head of the sphinx…." As he says so, he grins, turning to look at said hot spring, and at the person inside it, Chris, a small black and gold "trikini" on, Chris who, once he, dressed with an open white shirt and jeans, no shoes, leans towards her to steal another kiss to the smiling telepath, takes him for his shirt and, laughing, makes him fall inside the hot water, a laughter just stopped by him, who takes her in his arms and his lips.

"I think there may be one on the moon too, Mr. Wisdom… whish to investigate later?- she asks him, as he keeps kissing her, but turning his attention to her ivory neck and her shoulders, pressing his callous hands against her tattooed back. – I know this isn't like the real thing…."

"Ehy, I think it could be even better – he says as he continues to kiss her neck and her shoulder, leaving small marks of bites on her skin – besides, I still can't believe you have this into you… never guessed the first time we met you were such a wild girl, lady…"

"Speaking of which… I wonder if you're not too overdressed, darling."

"As I said, you're wild, love…"

"I just want you to understand that until I'll be in this unfortunate situation… -she pauses, as he lets go of her, looking at her, trying to look at the eyes she is hiding from him – this is everything I can offer for now. I need to take care of everything on this front…. Osborn, Utopia, X-force, Tony… and right now I can't…"

"I'll wait – he says, as he kisses her forehead, as she leans against him, her one against his now bare chest – and I'll do whatever in my power to help you. Take care of him, and I'll think about finding Marion for you, ok?"

"Ehy, maybe Sue Storm was right about my hot and caring spy boyfriend…"

"Really? What did she say about me?" he asks her, smirking.

"That you are definitely a man to marry… - she pauses, as he places her arms around his neck and kiss him again, full lips – or are you scared?"

"Scared? I'm Peter Paul Winston Wisdom, and I'm never scared of anything… - he pauses, as he sees her changing suddenly her expressions, turning from happy to scared, even terrified - Chris?" he asks her as he sees turning her head towards the outside, serious and worried, her eyes just a fissure.

"That bloody damn bastard, I can't believe… no, no, no, no, no, no! - as she looks at the mindscape, she seems to panic, as Pete Takes her for the shoulders – I was so kept here, that I've lost track of time and space… I'm currently the world's greatest telepath and I haven't even noticed…." She says starting to cry, as he keeps taking her for her shoulders.

"What?"

"Bobbi's crying desperate!"

"You mean Drake? Why are you in contact with Bobby Drake? "

"No, I don't mean Bobby Drake! It's Bobbi Morse, as in Clint's wife! She is running outside … can't believe that stupid... – she starts to get mad, as she turns back to look in Pete's eyes and gives him a quick kiss on the lips – sorry sweetie, but I really have to go…"

"Go save the world, girl…" he says, smirking, as they both disappear in a flash of light.

Avengers' hideout (real time)

Chris doesn't know how long it takes her to be on the roof, it can be seconds or minutes, but she feels like she'd been running along the stairs for something like centuries; she can't believe that she didn't felt something… an hint… a distant thought…. She was so kept by herself and now, her best friend… she doesn't want to think about it, but she has to, so, Chris tries to be positive, to be reasonable. She thinks about it like only she can do it. She thinks about how Osborn works. She understands him, now. She has been into his mind. And she has faith that he'll still be faithful to himself and his personal agenda of secret world conquest.

As she finally sees the sky, she realizes that she hasn't been the only one in a hurry: she may be only in shorts and an incredibly small and adherent singlet, but Bobbi is on her knees, crying like a little child, like it was the end of the world, just in her black underwear. Chris can't help but run at her side, taking blonde avenger in her arms, Bobbi's head on her shoulder, desperate and unable to stop to cry, sobbing.

"What did you do? Why? All we've been through…. how could you throw it away like this…"

"Girls, what's going on?"

As the duo lifts their heads, they see where the voice comes from, and who was talking: Carol "Miss Marvel" Danvers and Jessica "Spider-woman" Drew are, dressed with their costumes, flying in the sky, just over the building. Not that it's that strange: that can be the hideout of the team, but everyone of them still has their own life: Logan's still an X-men (and, over all, an X-Man trapped on Utopia), Spider-man is still working as a solo too, like Carol and Jess too, Bucky's working with Natasha and the recently resurrected Steve Rogers, Jessica Johns is doing her best as a mother, and so on.

"He went and did it! He went and did it!" Bobbi finally leaves the soil and looks at the women, but still unable to not panicking. Can she really be blamed for this?

"Who did what?" Jessica looks at them skeptical and unable to understand what's going on, as she reaches the floor and stands close to the blonde and the brunette.

"Clint – Chris says, almost a whisper, looking at the soil, ashamed of herself - Clint went to kill Norman Osborn"

"That man is an idiot!" Carol snaps with anger and frustration, as she runs in direction of Avengers Tower, while both Chris and Bobby run downstairs, as fast as they can, in their respective rooms, in the opposite sides of the house, searching for their costumes.

"And you didn't see it coming?" S.W. says, standing outside their rooms, half-way, crossing her arms.

"Whom are you talking with? - As Chris leaves her room, she is not already fully dressed in her "old" costume, the laces on her corset not already done and her mask, the small domino mask with computer lenses she wore during her extremely brief time with Logan's X-Force team, still in one of her hands – any word from Cap or Spidey?"

"You'll learn soon enough that's our deal: we live here, we work often as a team, but everyone has their own adventure too.- It's Bobbi to answer Chris, leaving her room fully dressed and trying to stay as calm as she can. – What a nice costume. Thought you didn't like them"

"My brother talks me into this, he said that all the Kevlar and the black leather made people uneasy and nervous. As I see things, the outfit I wore before Scott tried to disband the X-men as we knew it was more than fine."

"What do you think you are doing?" Drew asks them, looking at the both of them reaching again the roof.

"I don't know Chris, but I'm going after my husband"

"I thought you said he left a note saying "I don't want any of you to follow me", am I wrong or what?"

"The magic of our relationship…" Bobbi starts

"…of any relationship of any kind he has with any person…" Chris continues, crossed arms looking at Drew

"…is never listen to him because we know better than him" Bobbi has suddenly starts using no longer the singular, but the plural. As Clint said many times, Chris is part of their family, not in the way Steve or Jim or many others were, she HAS ALWAYS BEEN a member of the family in the real sense; Mockingbird can't forget how many times Clint remembered the brunette that, although not in blood, she was his "little surrogate sister" – and, as Clint told her after she has come back from the "death", Chris has gone to cry over his shoulders more than once over the years, while she and Tony weren't talking for a reason (Alec) or another (like when Tony had been that gentle to reveal his secret identity on TV and forgot to gave her a call to advert her of what was going on. According to Clint, although she did know he was Iron man, she didn't took it that easy, that he never gave a damn about telling her before she could learn it by the press- to be more precise, by a journalist from CNN who followed her while she was trying to get a coffee at Starbucks, asking her how she felt about her brother revealing his identity and being the sister of one of the greatest heroes of the world).

"But, apparently, he doesn't listen to any of you, too. Because I think you both mentioned that killing Osborn was wrong"

"I said that killing him now was wrong" Chris points out, with nonchalance.

"That's really a great relationship…."

"It works"

"He's my best friend from almost a decade, and I've never listened to him once: the day he told me to tell Tony I had powers, or that I knew he was Iron man, that I anticipated the wedding and married Alec in Vegas, that I was an X-man, or that I was dating Wisdom? I still have to tell Tony these things, and a couple of them happened when I was 18."

"Stop to try to be cute taking my mind off, okay? That goes for the both of you. That goes especially You, Chris."

"You still have to tell us why you didn't see this coming…"

"I was asleep. And he promised"

"I was talking with my boyfriend on the astral plane. – Chris' face turns into a not too gentle shade of red, while she looks at her feet, finding them incredible irresistible and interesting, almost whispering, hands joined at her back, like a child who's been found doing something he wasn't supposed to - And he promised. Clint promised, not my boyfriend."

"Looks, girls, I appreciate the…" Bobbi Starts, a bit unsure, not able to smile, although she'd like to.

"I get it."

"Ehy, don't even mention it. – Chris says – every time I was down, you or Clint was there to help me to get on my feet again. That's the least I can do."

"What's going on, guys? - Jessica Johns Cage joins them. She is the "human one, not because she is human (because she has super-powers, but because she is… normal. She decided to be, and acted on it. She is a married woman, and a mother – I've heard you running here and…"

"Barton had the brilliant idea of going to kill Osborn - Drew says, crossing arms, annoyed – All alone, by himself." She ends the sentence pointing each word, like she was somehow spelling it.

"Holy… what are you going to do?"

"NOTHING, that's what we are going to do" They hear her. They hear her shouting as she joins them on the soil. They hear Carol ordering them around.

"You want to do nothing? I'm not going to do nothing while my husband…"

"I really hope you are joking, Carol. C'mon, Clint's your friend too and…"

"I know, but… - Carol puts a hand on her forehead, closing her eyes while talking, like to concentrate or to alleviate the hurting – listen, Clint's obviously on the helicarrier over the tower, A helicarrier full of agents and evil Avengers, A helicarrier guarded by the God of War himself and who knows how many things better than us. I know he is your family, and your friends, but you really think that the 4 of us…"

"Make it five. – Johns says as she puts a hand on Bobbi's shoulder – you saved my husband, I'll save yours."

"I hope you realize that they don't play by our rules, right? If they caught him, he is already dead. And I mean, literally dead – Carol, now mask less, lowers her eyes and doesn't look in Bobbi and Chris' eyes - I know I've been rude, but it's the truth, and I had to tell you."

"Osborn isn't the classic villain, Carol – Chris stands in front of her, cold, serious, sure of what she is talking about, maybe because she went through it just few days before – he took power legitimately. Meaning, as they give it to him, if he does something wrong, he is out of the game. He needs us alive because that way he'll get to send us to trail and destroy us forever. Look at me, he had me for almost a week and the worst he did was letting me starving for food."

"Besides, there's much more they can do with Clint…- Drew continues. She and Chris are thinking the same things, but for different reasons: Jessica because she used to be a spy, and Chris because… well, analyzing scenarios and elaborating strategies is what she does better, after all. – they'll keep him alive until he'll be good for information."

"He has been trained by Captain America and By Fury, and has special… defenses. Clint knows how to fight a mental intrusion, whatever he is aware of it or not."

"Omega class telepath as a best friend. You should remind people to keep you in proper consideration. - Bobbi smirks a little, thinking deeply, getting what Chris meant with "special defenses" – and about that…"

HAMMER Helicarrier…

"Where's Clint?" The five of them (the Avenger Ladies, the new Lady Liberators, maybe) have flown on the helicarrier, and are now… Jessica Drew, Carol and the former Knightress, Jessica Johns- Cage, wearing her old costume for the occasion, are kicking asses royally, opening the road, while Bobbi and Chris are trying to find where Clint is kept captive (while kicking asses physically and telekinetically)

"The trail is extremely faint and the place is so shielded that it's a miracle that I've been able to do what I did, but I'm sensing someone else… there's a psych at work here, and I'm pretty sure it's still the same one that tried to strip away the intel for Osborn."

"Which. Way."

"Sorry Bobbi –Chris stops for few seconds, her body shielded by her psych- kinetic energy, as she closes her eyes and puts her hands on her temples to help and increase the concentration at the same time – Clint's making resistance, but the bastard… through the contact I can feel how much Mentallo is making him suffer… - a little tear escapes her black eyes as she starts to run towards the direction where the signal comes from – down this road, 150 feet, we have to turn to the left and… 3rd door on the right! – She pauses – Jess, do you mind? – even before Chris could end the sentence, Jessica Cage has already destroyed with a single fist the door and Bobbi has send "Mentallo" away from Clint with a good kick, the bald man now on the floor where Chris joins him soon – never mind"

"Clint? Baby? You okay? Please Clint… - Bobbi knees near her husband as Jessica, again with mere hands, free him from his chains – Clint, tell me something…"

"Sorry baby…last time… I promise…"

"Funny, it was the same thing you told me last time, honey"

" sorry to break the spell, but it's time to go!" they don't need Carol to tell them that, the sounds of firing weapons and the screaming, getting closer and closer, is enough telling.

"One last thing…" Chris smirks a little evilly, as she knees on Mentallo, and, her eyes shining like in fire, grinning, she touches his forehead with her hands, their faces only inches apart.

_*You're hearing my voice, right? Well, I'm glad you do. My name is Christine Stark. Tony Stark, Iron Man, is my brother. I used to be an X-man before Osborn almost killed us all. This man you tortured is my best friend. He is like family to me. And I'm telling you this because I want you to know who did what I'm gonna do to you…. I want you to remember who stripped away your resolve, who weakened you mentally, who made you relive all the nightmares of your life, every hurt, embarrassment, missed opportunity and failure. The little ones, the big ones, and the ones only you know about. You made him suffer this way… well, my mentor taught to make people suffer this way as well.*_

Avengers' hideout (another one, a block and a half away from the previous place…)

"I thought someone said something about the fact that we were safe in your other secret hideout, and that we wouldn't need another one a block and a half away… - Spidey arrives running and webbing, breathless, removing his mask to revel to face of Peter Parker, as the other member of the team, the whole team minus Logan, are gathered in their new HQ – and yet… here we are. In the other hideout a block and a half from the older one…" he leans against an old queen-jet, looking almost in disbelief at them.

"Sorry Guys, that's all my fault – Clint interrupts him, massaging the shoulder Venom almost took off - was it that bad over there?"

"NAH – Pete almost laugh – just like Germany in 1945. Ask Cap how bad it was over there at the time and let me know."

"Again, I'm sorry."

"And…" Bobbi looks again, smiling satisfied for her personal victory.

"..I'll never do it again…"

"Because…"

"It was stupid and selfish ill conceived…"

"And…" Chris lifts an eyebrow while looking at him, ending Bobbi's sentence.

"I already said I'll not do it again, Chris. You and Bobbi can stop the "and" and the "because" game, now"

"I was hoping in something in the line of "Chris, I'll listen to you because I've realized you're always right" but I think I'll survive even without it" She smirks as she gives him a small peck on the other shoulder, crossing them her arms, leaning against the jet as Pete, looking in front of themselves as Clint turns to face them.

"You were right. I lost it. It's only that… I'm not used to be pushed this hard. I can't stand Osborn, or the fact that the world is going to hell and no one seems to care. You were right, - he says looking at Chris smirking a little, a sad smile - and I was wrong. But listen… I would never do anything to put any of you, or this baby in harm's way. I'd never do anything to put you in this situation. And, I'm sorry."

"Well, this situation isn't exactly thrilling me, but for now I'm just happy you all are okay. But, Hawkeye, you are right. The world has gone to hell – a male voice sys from the outside, getting closer and closer, still in the shadows, as the "old" Avengers looks in said direction open mouth and eyes wide open (minus Bucky and Clint**) and Chris can't understand why, not until she sees who's talking, finally in plain sight, and then, she reacts as them, while the last man to carry the mantle of Captain America grins - but thank God the Avengers are here to do something about it. And we are. You ready?" And, as Steve Rogers points at them, she understands that Osborn's reign is going to end.

____

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_(**a.n.: I know in the comic they are all stunned, but both Clint and Bucky were inside the Rebirth story-line, so they should have been well aware of the fact that, although in hiding, Steve was back from the death....) _

* * *

_you think you should hit the "review" link, right? wrong! because, for this month only...._

**_ The List (2) ft. Spider-man!_**

_What's up, folks? That's Peter Parker, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man here, interrupting your regular reading of the adventures of the Blackdragon to ask your advice… our little Chris here seems kind of out of my league – Nobel prize winner, used to fight extraterrestrial threats, former spy and billionaire and all - but since we've saved the world together a few times…. I was wondering if she wanted to go out on a date with me – no costumes, in our civvies as Peter Parker and Chris… Stark, Johnson, or whatever she is called nowadays. I know, things could get kind of weird back at our Avengers base , but who cares? (Besides, I've heard she has broken-up with her very British and head of the intelligence boyfriend). AND we kind of have history. I've worked for her brother, she worked for her brother, and, recently, we've been running the both of us in the formerly known as the Green Goblin (I'm pretty sure she is his most hated girl). So, I thought about asking her out. Few days ago, while we were both crashing at Avengers HQ, I asked her about it, and she did confirm that she took a "pause" with the Brit – looks like she doesn't believe in long distance relationship – or maybe it was about him being unable to commit himself. I wasn't paying too much attention…. That's when I asked her out. What's the worst that could happen, right? So, she rejects me. She'll join a long list, a long, horrible list that I repeat myself late at night as I silently cry myself to sleep… (right now I'm hoping that she'll want to reject me, because it just come to my mind that Tony "Iron man" Stark is her older brother and that Clint "Hawkeye/Ronin" Barton called her, just a couple of hours ago "my surrogate baby sister"… repeat with me, Pete: don't. screw things up with her….)_

**_HE is a normal guy who was bitten by a radioactive spider! SHE is a former billionaire who gained super-powers from whatever mutants gain their powers from! YOU are probably wondering when we are going to get on with this already…. Well, take heed! Together, for one issue only, you're all about to go on…_**

**_THE AMAZING SPIDER-DATE!_**

_"You… you are Spider-man! You can't fly!"_

_"Yeah, well, it's true… - Pete says, as he lays against the fog generated by the criminal's rockets, who, just minutes ago, thrown the costumed vigilante out of a building, laughing like a maniac. – But, guess what? She can!" as the human arachnid flies in front of the criminal, finger pointed right at his noise, a luminous feminine figure emanating a purple fire-like aura, dressed in black with a white Victorian blouse and red laces, long brown hair and a small domino mask on, appears at his side, smiling, standing at crossed arms. _

_"Hi, I'm Blackdragon. I'll be bating you senseless this evening.- as she smirks at him, the guy with the purple mechanic outfit runs, escaping in the opposite direction towards the streets, tails between his legs – wait a sec, you! Where do you think you are going?" Still smiling, she flies at his back, transporting with her telekinetic powers Parker with her, at her side; as she touches the soil of the grey streets of Manhattan, she leaves Pete on a street light, and waits for the guy to arrive, and, as he does so, she surrounds him with a telekinetic bubble, stopping him and sending the criminal towards a very satisfied Pete, who traps the crimson criminal into his webs, leaving the guy on the same street light he were until a moment before. _

_"Oh, goony high-tech bank robbers, what would I occupy my time with if not for you guys?" _

_"You just leave them in the open like this?" she looks at the criminal, eyes wide open, and then at her team-mate._

_"Sure. One of the few good things of this city, is that the police is pretty quick to respond to a guy hanging by his ankles from a street light – he pauses, as he looks satisfied at his work – why, what do you do with a busted bad guy?"_

_"Honestly, this street-level stuff is pretty new to me; I've never done it that much. I really never had to figure it out... – she turns to look at him, who's already climbing from a building to the next one, and she joins him, flying –Ehy, by the way, I thought I owe you a date!" _

_"You remember?!" _

_"Computer-like mind – she smirks – I always remember everything. Did you really think I wasn't listening to you yesterday, when you kept going on and on about "Once you break-up with your boyfriend, you have to go out with me", right?"_

_"You break-up with your boyfriend? – He says, surprised, probably at wide eyes under the mask – weren't you always going on about how perfect and hot he was? I mean, I thought you and this guy were serious, because, c'mon, who dates a person for more than a year and they aren't serious about it? You even lived together! I mean, I know I shouldn't talk about this kind of things, because when it comes to me and these things… well, let's say that I have issues about getting serious and elopes… - he pauses, looking at the sky and then at her, pointing at Chris while she is almost laughing – ok, rewind and cancel. I shouldn't say this kind of things to a girl I'm trying to convince to go out with me…"_

_"We wanted different things out of life… and decided to take a pause, to see… to see what the future will bring us, let's say.- She says, smiling a little, making a smile full of embarrass, while massaging the back of her neck. – plus, his ex, who happens to be my best friend too, is back from the death, and I'm feeling a bit… uncomfortable about facing her telling her that I'm serious with the man I used to hate and told her to stay away from"_

_"He wants the sex, she wants the feelings; quite a classic. Sometimes I'm disgusted by us men, you know?"_

_"Oh, no, no, Wisdom has nothing against us being serious, but he doesn't want any children, while I do." she states, at crossed arms, calmly. _

_"Oh, well, maybe then we should re-consider the whole going out thing because…"_

_"Eventually, Spidey, I eventually want children, not right now. My dear ex, instead, has been crystal clear about the fact that he'll never want any children. The cinical and bitchy part of me is sure that he said it because he knew that I eventually want them." _

_"Ok... so… - Peter claps his hands and looks at her, trying to change topic, feeling that this isn't exactly healthy - About that thing… the computer-like memory thing… I was wondering… it's not Extremis related, right? Because I remember that this… thing – he says as he stops on a roof and she joins him – come out at the same time your brother Extremis did, and he was kind of… creepy"_

_"What? Oh, no. it's a simple secondary mutation. Something, in the last few years, we saw a lot… at least, until there were mutants. – as she says so, lost in her thought, she gives him her back, since Pete is busy putting his civil clothes back on, and, sitting and looking at the sunset, Chris's body is surrounded by the same violet aura she manifested before, and where once there was a costume, there's now a complete set of normal clothes – a black polo shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. – Frost can turn into diamond. Psylocke is showing both telepathic and telekinetic abilities, like the Cuckoos. McCoy tuned into the Lion King. and etc, etc, etc… while the subscripted ended with the computer-like abilities. – she turns, chin on her hand, and looks at him, dressed in civil clothes - what about we get something to eat?"_

_"Ehm... I'm... kind of… tapped out… on cash… at the moment.." he whispered, apologetically._

_"Oh, please, Peter, you're always out of money!"_

_"NOT ALWAYS!"_

_"It's the only think you ever talk about. Anyway, don't worry about it. We've got a brand new nemesis in common; I think that I could buy you dinner tonight."_

_"Great. Now I'm the girl…"_

_"The other Peter never complained about me buying him dinner." She smirks, at crossed arms, her back against the wall._

_"Other Peter?" he looks at her, quizzically, lifted eyebrow._

_"My ex. Peter Wisdom, also known as Pete for short, because, well, there was this guy called Piotr in the team, too, but we called him Peter and so, to avoid confusion, he become simply Pete… - this time the quizzically look is on her – hope you own nicer clothes, Parker, because if I'm buying you dinner, we're going somewhere nice!"_

_The Blue Hill, one of NYC's finest restaurants, Greenwich Village…_

"Just this chair costs more than my annual income! – as Peter looks at the menu, Chris, dressed with a pale grey Tommy Hilfiger wool dress, a deep V-décolletage, a bit over her knee, a black belt with a couple of décolleté of the same colour, can't help but laugh under her teeth for his reaction – oh God, you're right!"

"'bout time someone finally admitted it!" she can't help it, she ahs to smirk of that victorious smirk of hers.

"I get weird about money. I'm always worried about money! I might have a money-worrying disease!"

"Have you ever thought about investing?" she is drinking something. He doesn't know exactly what, but he is pretty sure it's something with no alcohol in – he is pretty sure he heard Clint saying it was all her fault his brand new "my body is a temple and nothing toxic should enter it" mantra, delivered on a nights out with Logan, was all her fault.

"In- vest, in-vest… - he spells it like a child spells a new word, like he really doesn't know what she is talking about – what is this strange word you speak? – he lifts his eyes from his water and looks at her in the eyes, speaking at low voice but screaming at the same time – seriously, not the whole world is so lucky to birth a Stark with already billions in their hands…"

"I... ehm… I wasn't born a billionaire, Peter. But I think I got what you mean."

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember the Bugle saying something about you not being a Stark…. A Stark by blood, I mean. Sorry. – He pauses, unsure and quiet - Wait a sec… how can you be here? You're world's most wanted girl! And you USED to be a billionaire!"

She grins again, always the same grin "do you see that man? – she indicates a guy at a near table – wonna see what's he is looking at?"

"Eh? – as he is going to question her, her eyes shines a little, and he has a sudden image projected into his brain – wait a sec… the guy I saw… that was me… and you were the blondie version of wonder Woman with too much skin?"

"I'm projecting 27 different programming into this people's brains, in order to look like… her. Yes. And I was talking about the … new Miss Marvel. Don't tell Carol, though. She'd kill me. She is kind of my best girl-friend, right now."

"You rock, girl! What about the money?"

"Ehm… few years ago, when the heroes… returned… I kind of joned X-Force and… I… I made some cash with other identities during the time… I treasured a part of my money. You know, just in case something like that could happen. I can no longer live the way of life of the Starks, not that I've ever lived in that way too much, but I'm still comfortable… you know, the attic in One Fifth Avenue, the house in L.A., my London mansion, the personalized Black Ferrari, the Harley… "

"I wonder comfortable may be, at this point…"

"You know what I mean!"

"You mean that your life-style would be comfortable enough if we weren't being hunted down by Norman Osborn, that's what you mean."

"Yeah, well, that's for sure. I mean, if not for him, I'd be probably still living the almost proper Stark way of life … guess it's my fault, too. I mean, I tried to …. Ehm…. Comes to term with the situation in my own way… twice, actually, and things… let's say they didn't work out as I planned. I mean, I've been inside his head and…. He is crazy, and he is doing his best to forget how it was to feel human, an actual nice human. – She pauses, back against the pillows of the sofa – by the way, what's the story between you and Osborn, Anyway? I think I overheard Clint saying about him being the father of your best-friend? Is that the same boy that…"

"He is crazy and he wants me dead. And that's the short version."

"Yeah, well, thanks dude, everybody knows it! I meant that I don't know the details."

"Hello? You are an Avenger for life, And an X-Men for life, And a member of super intelligence agents for life, And I still don't know how you can handle all of this. You should know how this works. Crazy implies no details. Don't you have a Norman Osborn of your very own? Just yours, I mean. No Magneto or hellfire club or bad aliens, just yours."

"No, not really, I don't think I do."

"Everybody in the game has a Norman Osborn of their own."

"I guess I've never been that lucky in that… or that important – she looks at him, realisation in her eyes – wait, I have my own Norman Osborn! You know what? Vlad Tepes, son of the Dragon"

"Am I supposed to get this one?"

"C'mon, you know him! Vlad Tepes, count Vlad! Dracula"

"you mean Dracula, like, That Dracula, like, the vampire?"

"Yes, that's him! He tried to get me killed! One of his men did it, actually, and he did it twice."

"Your nemesis is a vampire?"

"My nemesis is the master of all vampires, sweetie" she proudly sentences.

"And when did it happen? I mean, where the hell was I at the time?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but, about the time … 24 years ago the first time and few months ago the second one. Now that I think about it, he is not exactly my Norman, more like the one of my mother's family. But since I'm the last known living member of the dynasty, now he is after me. Well, he was. He has been killed by Captain Britain, not that I'm not aware that he'll be back soon, but… let's say that, for the moment, everything's great."

"Oh, yes… So…"

"So… Ehy, wonna grab a drink? It's not like I don't drink because I'm an alcoholic, because I'm not, I mean, I've never been one, but, you know, with Tony around I kind of lost the habit, so, if you want a drink, you can make yourself at home, no literally, but I heard they do a divine Bloody Mary…"

"I drink rarely, and badly, trust me. So… may I have another appetizer?"

"Yeah, well, ok…"

_10 minutes of silence later…_

"Wow, we're awesome at conversation!" Peter looks in front of himself, playing with glass, annoyed.

"Yeah, well, shop talk will do that. Let's try to change the subject!"

"Good idea… So…"

"So…"

"So…"

"Ehy, I can move my hair! And it's not spider-related!"

_5 minutes later…_

"Gotta go gotta hit the little Peter room."

_Charming_

_10 minutes later._

"So…"

"So…"

"Nice place you choose. Good food."

"They grow it locally"

"Cool. I just had water, bottled water."

"I don't know if it's local"

"You know when the Avengers tell me to shut up? Tell them about this!"

"No talk shop. I thought we agree."

"Wonna some water?"

"I have mine"

"Are you going to hit me?"

"What? No, why? I mean, it's not like you're hitting at me or anything!"

"Oh, oh"

"I'm Sorry?"

"It's the Spider-sense, a totally spider-related power."

"Daughter of the huntress, your end has finally come!" two vampires of low level, the bat part more present that the human one, crash into the restaurant from the window Peter and Chris are eating close to, a sword in their hands.

"I guess I was talking about it. – he pauses – you said vampires are your nemesis, right?"

"Son of a..."

"And here I Thought we agreed on the shop talk."

"What a Great plan, Storming into the middle of my dinner and putting a sword on my neck! Are you serious?" the violet aura back on, Chris, flying, storms against one of the vampires, sending him against the wall.

"It was their idea! I was just following orders!" the male cries.

"You damn…- the female says as she puts the sword on Peter's neck, who's still eating salad – release my mate and surrender to us, and I'll not cut your boyfriend's head!"

"Technically speaking, it's only our first date, so I can assume that calling me her boyfriend may probably be super premature. – he pauses, looking a bit skeptical – besides, I'm pretty sure she hasn't forgot her ex yet"

"Ok, and you do realize that I can move the atoms of your sword and changes it into, I dunno, puddle?"

"Eh?" the female takes the sword in her hands and looks at it, while Chris, taking advantage of her distraction, telekinetically throws them out of the building and follows the vampires, surrounded by the violet sphere of energy.

"Oh, please! Can't believe you brought it! – She sends them outside, still looking for others - ok, you just became take-out and… wait a sec… you were alone?! – she says sending them against a three – I'm your most hated enemy and you came here alone?!"

"Can I finish dinner? Don't to seem lazy, but a free meal is a free meal… - Peter looms around, skeptical – what about the others?"

"I don't know?" as she says so, she takes the crux she has around her neck, and removes an extremely subtle shining thread from the inside of the silver jewel, and she bundles them against the nearest street light – it's adamantium, don't even try to break it, it will just cut you to the bone- plus, the crux is blessed, so it will hurt like hell, burning you. And be nice with the police, or I'll know it and I'll come back to slay you. And you don't want me to go all Buffy the vampire slayer on you, do you?"

"Guess it's only them. No spider-sense tingles. Not any longer. Also, this is really good and you are letting yours getting cold."

"Miss Marvel, is that really you, the real deal? - Chris looks in disbelief at the owner of the restaurant. She can't believe her mental disguise was that good and that someone could actually believe it was true… - what happened at my restaurant?"

"Yeah… well... you see… WOLVERINE and I….we were having dinner when this two… these vampire-like second class criminals… these enemies of the order that Osborn's HAMMER brang into this chaotic world, attacked us and…"

"No costumes?"

"I'm Wolverine, not Clark Kent! I don't have it under my clothes! I swear! And your locally grown food is lovely!"

"Yeah, well… I'm pretty sure you should call Avengers Tower and ask of Director Osborn, because he'll be more than happy to foot the bill for a cleanup crew…"

"Tell Normie I said hi and… thanks for the tomatoes burger! - Pete shouts as they fly away, surrounded by telekinetic invisible energy – you know, this is how every date I've ever been on ever turned out."

"And I'm still hungry because I didn't get to eat, and you?"

"Me too, but it doesn't mean anything, because I'm a male, meaning: I'm always starving."

"Do you fancy a hot dog around the corner?"

"Nah, I know the best place in the world… well, in the city… I'm kind of a junk food junkie."

"Ehy, I can live with junk food once or twice in a year! I'm _almost _perfect, not _completely_ perfect!"

"And why were we at the restaurant, than?"

"I've been there before. And I like to make a certain impression on people."

"Oh, well, well, well… you wanted to impress me! – He pauses, eyes and mouth open – you wanted to impress me? Like, you care about what I think of you?"

"What? No, no! I didn't want to impress you! I mean, I wanted to impress you, but not like… in you! – She sighs, looking at the sky, a hand on her right temple – it's just that… I've been obsessed with the idea that… I don't know. I need to make an impression on people, to know they like me…. I'm not exactly good when it comes to… relate with human beings, especially male human beings."

"You want men to be head over heels for you?"

"Samson. He said it's because I've never had a proper father figure. And a mother figure, for what it matters. I didn't have an emotional education. I mean, you know Tony, and he was the closest thing to a father figure... so, since I didn't have any emotional education, I can't relate with anyone properly, and since I've always felt like Tony didn't care enough, I always search for people's approbation.."

"And you aren't over your ex yet"

"Yes, I'm not over him, definitely"

"Why Moonstone?" he suudenly asks, out of the blue.

"Well, the whole… formerly known as Moonstone… - she pauses, looking exasperate –I… eh, I kind of used to envy her… Do you realize how… I mean, how could I envy her, just because… because Clint slept with her and I still had this big crush on him at the time?"

"Well, you choose, for me, a sadistic and sociopath bisexual guy who's more than 50 years old…"

"Yeah, well – she says massging the back of her neck – you know, Daken is one of the best known Avengers, so I thought… you know, never mind."

"You know, between men and you… I'll take an hot dog any day." He causally lets it slip.

"Meaning?" she looks at him quizzically.

"This is so nice that the "date" starts here and now and nothing before this moment really happened AND I never saw you posing as Evil and Bitchy Miss Marvel, AND I've never heard what you said about you being jealous of her AND I so didn't hear you saying they were sleeping together!"

"Yeah, well, you know what? It's nice, really – she pauses, then turns back at him – Ehy, I've read a couple of things of yours! Men, you are a real nerd!"

"Said the Nobel Prize Winner…"  
"oh, please! It was the team I was part of to win it! I haven't been the only one AND I'm not such a nerd!"

"Wonna bet about it? I'm pretty sure that I've red things of yours that were pretty nerd-ish!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever…"

"I heard you! And I'm sure that you were a bigger nerd than me and…"

_Epilogue_

_"**I thought we had a deal, Baroness. -**_ Osborn's voice cames as clear as the day from the speakers at the side of the computer screen, where an annoyed baronees Blood is looking at him from her castle, annoyed and mad, because her objective hasn't been dealt with yet.- **_I didn't help MI:13 when you attacked Britain because, frankly, not that I gave a damn about them, but now… I allowed your people to walk free in my country, I helped them to get to the woman, and what did you do? For god's sake, you're the leader of your people, you were supposed to be smarter than this! Why the hell did you send two newbies to do the dirty work, if killing Christine Stark is that important?" _**

"Killing the Blackdragon IS important to us! That damn woman and her blood are our prime objective! - she cries in anger, leaving her chair and looking at Osborn standing on her feet, her fists on the surface of the marble table - She wasn't supposed to be able to stop them! They were both almost a century old, and she has never been trained to access her full potential!" she screams with rage.

**_"Well, looks like your people understimated her. You should have not."_**

"Whar are we supposed to do now?"

**_"You? Oh, you, nothing. I needed her to get her brother, but now that he is useless… - _**he pauses, at crossed amrs, and even if he is wearing the armor, is quite clear that he is smirking – **_the bastard prefered to lobotomize himself, rather than give me acees to his memory. Tony Strak is off the table. The X-Men are off the table. Jim Rhodes is under my care right now. Soon I'll be done with that so-called Avengers as well, and after what she did in _****_Alcatraz, she can no longer come back to MI:13. She is running off of allies… soon she'll be the only one oposing me, if she'll survive long enough. I'd not be surprised if she'd kill herself, following her brother's example, though. Straks are well known for beking crazy and not normal."_**

"I'm not stupid, Osborn, I know what you're doing – she staes, calmer – but don't you dare to lecture me. We've lived longer than any of you. We'll walk on your graves. – she walks and keeps grins, like a rabbid animal in cage – you can't put it that way! We can't allow the huntress to walk free, not knowing what she might do to us!"

**_"Well, Baroness… we had a deal. You didn't respect it. I'm calling it off. As from now, you're no longer allowed un US soil – looks like that damn idiot of Wisodm isn't the only one with magic tricks. And for what concerns Chrisitne Stark… she is no longer your concern."_**

"But…"

**_"Well, as I said, I'll take care of her personally, since it looks like only me I'm good enough to take care of my enemies… now, if you'll excuse me, I've wasted enough time with you, and I have a world to run."_**

Once the conversation is done, in his tower, what used to be Stark Tower, Norman Osborn sits at the round table, crossed arms, his elmet now removed, as the woman known as Loki looks at him,a smile of amusemnt on her lips.

"Tell me, Loki, what do you think the vampire ment, when she said that Stark hasn't reached her full potential yet?"

"_Oh, the woman… I'd not worry about her that much. Vampires are strange creatures, indeed… the stories they tell their youngsters, the horror stories they tell them, they are stories of an ancient time, when the bloodline of that dreadfull woman was strong, a clear menace for their kind. They still believes in their myhths, like my people believes in what was once told us about our father, Odin. But this woman in particualr… She is just a kid, compared to us."_

"She… laught of me, the one you call a child. She made fun of me. You are doing what the vampires did, understimating her."

_"Don't forget what I once told you, Norman. Our needs are in perfect alignment. You need my mischief, I need your strenght… and togerther, we can do everything, even change the world. And when the time will came, the woman will be taken care of." _

As Loki gives him her back, she smiles under her breeth, as, seconds before she disappeared, the image of a dark gem trapped in a silver web appears in her right hand, unseen by her "ally"…


	36. Blackdragon and Professor X: Walkthrough

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature.... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**Not Exactly spoilers here, just X-men backstory and few things related to the Invincible Iron Man title (just a paragraph or two, actually)

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #34 - walkthrough**

**featuring Charles "professor X" Xavier**

"What the…- Chris is currently sitting on a sofa of one of the last Avengers hideout the team finds themselves in, almost nine PM, a black t-shirt and jeans on, jacks of her I-pod in her ears, keeping repeating the last couple of albums from the Foo Fighters, a Moleskine book and a fountain pen in her hand, busy, while looking with part of her new "team-mates" to Danielle who keeps playing, and writing equations and making counts. Suddenly, she stops, and, as she closes the books, silent and a little cold – and even annoyed, lifts her look in front of herself, yawning a couple of times – bloody hell, I can't believe it's been 3 days from the last time I slept… I was so kept in the math that I even forgot it! – She says leaving her spot, looking at Jessica Johns-Cage and Jessica Drew – did you know that the lack of sleep has on the brain the same effects of alcohol? Technically speaking, as for now, my reflexes are the same as I was drunk... – she yawns again , walking in direction of her room – better if I rest a couple of hours, 'till it's safe out there…"

_Omega level telepaths can sniff each other around, and I'd like to remember you that I'm actually an omega class telepath. _She mentally says as, once closed the door, she leans against its wooden surface with her back, crossed arms, annoyed; annoyed by what, she precisely doesn't know: his mere presence, the fact that he seems to underestimate her every time she is at his presence, or maybe the fact that she doesn't want to have him, or any other x-people, around herself right now. She moved on. She left them. She is an Avenger right now, she'd like to tell him, but the words die in her mouth, and in the back of her mind, and so, she remains still, in front of the astral plane that finally merges from the shadow, revealing his identity –an identity she was already aware of – "Charles" she angrily says, tightening her teeth, and, as a matter of fact, she does it at loud. She doesn't call him by name with her mind, but with her voice. Things have changed, in the last months… this is actually the second time she sees him alive after his "second coming" thanks to the former servant of Magneto called Exodus, to Erik's help – that she has already fought against – and former X-men ally turned enemy turned enemy… what was her name? she just remembered she was a sentinel, and use to be Malice for a while. And that she was Indian.

_*I just wanted to… We were in synch when we helped Emma to get into Sentry's mind, and I saw your memories, and…*_

_#you close your mouth, Charles. You though I haven't noticed you trying playing games with my mind? Trying to convince me to go back to the institute before… and to Utopia later? You tried to convince me that I wanted to make sure everything was all right, that Cerebra was working fully and in the right way. When it didn't work, you tried to convince me that Scott had called to tell me Osborn was going to attack again – _she pauses _– a good stratagem. It seemed something I could have thought on my own. But I've improved. I can sniff you. #_

_*I just wanted to talk with you *_

_#Have you ever heard of communication devices? You may not know it, but they're better than a man playing games with people's minds._ – She laughs – _oh, God, every time I try to defend you, here you are, doing it all over again! #_ She thinks that, in "reality" she'd not face him right bow, and she wonders if she is contacting her because his body is still too weak after what the evil monster known as The Dark Beast did to him.

_*I don't do it lightly*_ he assures her, looking sad, in the distance.

_#yeah, sure, that's why you do it so often…_ - she sarcastically laughs a little, cold with him _– I'm doing my best to not hate you, Charles, but it's extremely hard to maintain this promise… and it is better if you stop wasting my time…# _

*_My memory is… my memories are impaired, Christine. I don't know enough about my past to answer your accusations*_

_#Oh, Charles, believe, I know plenty, even too much… there's a lot you have to answer for! #_

She snaps, her eyes flaming in psych energy, _– _she remembers how sweetly she said his name as she called him before the coming of the Messiah Baby, and she can't believe she is so distant now… but, why is she shocked by the realization that he is a liar? He brainwashed the x-men to not let them find out about Vulcan's team. He brainwashed McCoy's family. He brainwashed Bobby Drake's whole town, to let him free from jail. He used to be part of the Illuminati. He is a player, a player who plays with people's mind. A player that brainwashed her, letting her forget her family, and right now… right now, she can't be nice with him, doesn't feel at all like being nice. – _#hope you don't mind being here# _

That has been cruel. She has just bran the conversation on the astral plane, on her "mind-room", but not in the same place she has conversations with Pete and her friends… but at the school. At the same school she was months ago. The school as she saw it the last time she was there - destroyed, abandoned.

"It's bad, isn't it? That's' your worst dream coming true. Because, Charles, I know you. You think that, without the solid evidences of our presence here, we're nothing. How do you feel, Charles? What do you think your precious X-men are? - She stands, looking at him, cold, and mad, and observes as he knees and takes the piece of metal with the inscription "Xavier Institute for higher learning" in his hands, almost crying – you say it's the past that defines us, and without our past, what are we? But you… - she closes her eyes, tears leaving her black orbs, as her voice is broken by her cry as well – you stole it from me, Charles. – she pauses, as a violet shining door of energy appears at his back, and Chris start to walk in its direction, passing Charles and giving him her shoulder - maybe someday we'll discuss about it. Hell, knowing me we could even laugh about it. But right now, better if you keep your distance... and congratulations for your new little nation. You and Eric enjoy it while it last. – as she approaches the door for the outside world, she stops, a step from the entrance, as the door is suddenly covered by bricks – enough games, Charles. I'm leaving that you like it or not. We can do the nice way or the other way around… try to fight me and I'll fight back."

"I gave myself the responsibility to teach you, Christine, and I'm not done yet" he grins, as a victory.

"Teach? You never taught me! I've never been enough good to be one of your X-Men! – She snaps again, like a rabid animal, facing him again from the distance, tears of rage from her eyes – you just used me! Say it right, Charles… say you're not done using me!"

"I'm just traveling back, where the journey begun… my journey. _we shall not cease from traveling and the end of all our journey will be to arrive back where we started, and see the place for the first time"_ he smirks, still a little sad, while looking at her, who has turned to look at him.

"You know, Charles, you're tempting me to try to see if the wounds one receives on the astral plane can be reversed on their physical self or not…" she grins, but her one is not of happiness, or satisfaction. She is full of rage.

"Even with all the holes in my memory, I still know you too well, Christine. You'd never try to hurt me."

"Oh, yes – she says as she faces him, inches from his face – you know all of us. Me, Sage, Scott, Hank, Jean, Bobby, your own son… you read us like we are book, you see through us. And you write in the margins of our souls, so that we could be and act as you wish. – She pauses, looking more enraged than before, but, somehow, calmer, and evil smile of her lips – tell me, Charles, how long did you write in my margins? What did you write? Had I really joined your intelligence on my own or was it simply another game you played in your interest?"

"I don't think you belong here. You have so many questions, and no answers. And it's not here you'll find them. This part of your journey – he says as he forces the landscape to change, showing her what used to be the Avengers mansion and then Avengers Tower – it doesn't suite you. You voyage started with your people, it has to end with your people, for you, and for us. There are less than 200 of us left, we need every single mutant at disposition and I'm sure Scott would be glad to have you back."

"Oh, right… Scott. You know, I thought he was better than you, but I've recently realized something. You taught us, and you made us in your own image, liars and manipulators. You laid to us… you kept secrets… and we do the same: Scott and Jean, Scott and Emma, Scott and the team, me and my brother. We all lie to each other because of you. At least Erik had the decency to be honest with everyone! - She screams, as the landscape comes back to the one she created. – It's funny, isn't it? I used to be your little spy… and now I'm Scott's sweet killer… at least in his dreams."

"You can like it or not, but we need each other – he says as, once she is walking in direction of the door, still closed, he removes the bricks – you are free now, Christine, To leave, if you like. I won't keep you here any longer against your will. But… - he pauses – I'd like to read your mind, and… arrange your powers. I remember it was Lucien's fault the awakening of your powers, and now that you've faced him again, and the knowledge of what he did… god only knows what's going on with your powers and your psyche."

"You want to… what? How could you dare to even ask this?" the rage is free, and Chris is full of rage, and she isn't pulling back this time, she is releasing it. She is letting it go, as telekinetic blast of solid energy, similarly to the Invisible Woman's force fields hits the "landscape" around Charles, like it was real, destroying what was left of the mansion, and, as she comes close and closer, she grabs him for the collar, tears evident in her eyes.

"You let an assassin in your mind, and you dare to ask permission to enter in my psyche? I don't care how you rationalize it, Charles. You forced me to do things you wanted me to do for years, and now here you are, trying to do it all over again, and you dare to hold me here against my will…"

"It's for your own good, Christine. You went through so much… your mind is in pain, damaged, wounded, and I can help you to..."

"Shut up! Just… shut up. – She says, as she releases him – do you honestly think you are a hero? You're not better than the people we fought. You're not better than Erik."

"I had a dream, an ideal. And it was more important than everything else in my life. It's what I… I rebuilt myself around it, when I died. It was the only thing I could remember, the only thing I could cling to."

"Erik is an idealist, and so Apocalypse, even Osborn, all in their own twisted way. You can't buy yourself off this by saying you meant well – she pauses, turning in direction opposed to him, sad, at crossed arms – it's not enough for me, Charles. The core you built...- she pauses again, struggling to find the words – you rebuilt me around a core that was, in fact, a lie. You took me away from what I was, and re-assembled me as you wished, like a soldier does with a rifle. But the only difference is that the soldier goes into battle on his own, while you send me.- she turns again, looking, from the distance, in his eyes, the "wind" moving stands of her brown-reddish hair - And them."

"I was at your side! You know I've always been!" he almost shouts, getting closer to her, who, as an answer, almost laughs.

"But it was your war. You made me... us… battle your own war. You told me what I needed to know, what I needed to remember and think. And edited out the part you didn't like. Part that were, let me say it, things done by you, mostly."

"What I did, it was to protect you, to train you, to teach you. Lucien found you when you were merely an infant, but look at what I've done; my justification is that you're still alive."

"Lucien wasn't after me because I was a mutant, Charles. Don't try to use it at your advantage; because it's not gonna work."

He pauses, as he walks in direction of the door to leave before her "It was good to see you again, Christine. Hope my apology will mean something to you in time."

"What do you think you are doing, Charles? – She says, giving him her back, grinning satisfied – oh, Charles… why do you people always underestimate me? I'm an omega class telepath. I knew what you were going to do even before you did it. If you think it will be that easy leaving my mind once in… you're wrong, Professor. - as she says so, the door vanishes, and everything around them changes, the lands falls, and where they were and where they are, are suddenly 2 completely different things: a exit-less gothic like labyrinth, dark and cold, made of metal, like something that could only belong to Magneto – I can spot a thought that doesn't belong to me even on my own, nowadays. I think it's because of my computer-like abilities. I immediately recognized it for what it was, and you're going to have a taste of your own medicine, Professor" she keeps doing it. She keeps underlining that noun, that substantive… his codename, like it was something… something bad. And he understands it, once he starts to lifts his eyebrows, because of her grin, because of her eyes, the way they shine, their light… like she was possessed. Possessed by rage, possessed by regret, and, over all, possessed by guilt for what he made her do… what she did to her friends, and family. But Xavier, Charles is Charles. As she said, he is a professor. He was _her_ professor. He taught her, and there's no way in the world he is going to let her surpass him in his own field. He is not scared, and, as she comes closer to him, he answers to her grin with the same posture, even if the woman coming closer to him, wearing, strangely, a black version of Emma's last X-Men outfit, is becoming a giant, and is taking him in her hands, trapping him inside.

"C'mon, Christine, we both know my mind is stronger than yours, if we'll fight, you know what the outcome will be"

"Oh, Charles, please. I didn't know you thought so little of yourself – she keeps grinning, an evil smile while he is at her eye-level – once I felt you trying to reach my mind… I was waiting for you, Charles. I've already programmed this. The moment you entered in contact with me, the moment you dared to enter in my mind… - she stops, as he stops to grin – my mind works as a computer, and, as a computer, can produce viruses. It's what I did to you, even if you weren't realizing it, too full of yourself. I'm a virus Charles, a virus you caught… I installed blocks, and inhibitions, failsafe programs and blind spots. Did you realize it was in my mindscape you were going to walk through? That once inside… - she pauses for dramatic effect, closing him in her hands, and playing with the deck of cards she "realized" with the scenes of his life just like Gambit would do with his own deck, she suddenly realizes a film can – you'd be my possession?"

"I'm here to help; I'm here in good faith! I'm not here to harm you!" he cries, full of rage, as her.

"That's why you're still on your legs and not same kind of ameba, Charles – She pauses again, facing him, still trapped inside the film can, sad, eye-closed – you can't imagine how much I'd like to teach you a lesson the hard way. I'm not going to forgive you, Charles. I'll never do. But I want answers. I want to know why you're doing this… and why you did what you did. - As she says so, even before he could talk her back, she turns on the projector – believe me, Charles, this isn't something I'm looking forward to. Horror stories have their place… and God knows I'm not the squeamish type… although I'm pretty sure there will be scenes I'll not give a look at."

_Hank, I run a school for people like you. Here, you'll learn to use your abilities for the good of this world. _

"It was always the altruism, right, Professor? It was your first card…" she grins, at crossed arms, as, both on their legs, are walking a black and white movie of the first meeting of the X-men with hank McCoy, when he still looked human.

"What does this pathetic charade would mean, Christine?" he turns to look at her, shouting, mad, full of rage. And she grins, because he is playing her game.

"It's a walkthrough test, Charles. And I'm pretty sure it will hurt."

"Do you think the X-men… do you think Scott and Emma will welcome you at open arms just because you're torturing me?" and now they're at the school, few hours later, and Hank in fresh and clean, and in debating with Charles.

"It will not hurt you physically, Charles – she says as she walks and goes to seat on the desk –just on an emotional level. I need to understand how you'll react to these memories."

"Release me. Now, or, otherwise, I'll have to make you." He closes his fists, and can't look at her. She is so different, too different, from the first time he met her.

"Oh, please. Your company isn't something I'm looking forward to. Even a little of that goes a long way. But I need – she says, exasperated, facing him again, and standing close to the "mental" old Xavier – to see how you will react, if you really feel guilty for what you did to all of us."

_"I took the liberty to erase the memory of your existence from the mind of the ones who met you, Hank" "you can control people's mind?" "I do it only as a last resort. Would you prefer to be remembered by them with hate, fear and regret? Don't think it is better this way? " _

"He was unhappy and vulnerable!" he shouts, and, as he does so, the room falls into pieces, changing landscape, bringing them to an earlier time, in Fort Washington, Long Island, outside a prison, with Xavier facing Bobby Drake along an extremely young Scott.

_"I made disperse the mob in front of the jail peacefully and asked them to forget all about you" "you can you do that?" "I did it, and I send home your parents, too. I run a school for people like us, where people like us learn how to control their abilities and to use them for the good of this world." "But I can't abandon my family…." "I made them forget your powers; they'll think you'll be a plain student at a plain school." "I don't want to become a stranger for them…" "Sometimes, Robert is better for our loved ones to not know."_

"I guess it was the same thing you thought about Bobby, right? His father was a good man before you brainwashed him. He accepted his son, but once you did your magic… - she pauses – he was an anti-mutant activist, Charles, for years…. And Bobby blamed himself for this, because he thought he was the one to accept it, he thought you discussed this "possibility"!"

"You know what's in my mind, and what was then!" he shouts, almost hitting her with his right fist, hitting a "false" wall of the school.

"There's doubt, Charles, and uncertainty. You fear you did this just to see if you could, if you were able to. – they both pause, as they walk away by the room, walking through a door and finding themselves walking through a dream-like corridor, something that seems to have come out from Vertigo's doing – I notice you didn't deny my accusation, Charles"

"I can't defend myself, Christine – he says, gesturing a little with his hands, less exasperated by her, more quiet and more guilt – I remember these actions… barely, but I still remember them… the facts and the words. What I don't remember are the actions behind them."

"Here we are – she says, standing at a closed door that, once opened, revels again a room, the first room they found themselves in, Xavier's studio; before the let the main characters of this play to appear, Chris pauses, and looks at the man who considered for years like a tutor, a father figure – after Genosha, when I come back… I started to reconsider myself, and to see my powers in a different way. I think it was what Tony was expecting from me, though; I've always been good at do what people wanted me to do. Tony needed me to be cold and distant, cynic, and sometimes… sometimes I think I feel the way God must feel, weighing men's souls in my hands.- She closes her eyes, standing still at his side – because of you, I can't remember how I felt when my powers first manifested themselves… I can't remember if I felt like a Goddess or a monster. I wonder if you do, considering what you went through."

"I… I think… - he pauses, correcting immediately him – I felt like you did. I was terrified. I was a child, in a maze of adult minds… I was so small. Everyone had their own world into their minds; it was like walking through the infinite. I thought I was going to get lost inside it, to never be able to find my own thoughts again. – He pauses again, looking at her, serious and cold again – but I've never speculated about how God could or could not feel."

"Are you sure about it? I'd not bet on this… - as she answers to him, a grin of rage appears on her face, accompanied by two figures: always Charles, years later, and an extremely young Rogue, who's crying, desperate as she was dying, under his cold and emotionless eyes – I presume you remember Rogue… Anna, if you prefer."

_"Professor, I don't know what to do, I'm going crazy!" "so you said to my X-Men when you first arrived her, but you don't need to pretend when we're alone. I know that, like everything you did in your life, you came here just for self-interest. Of course you want to be saved by the consequences of your actions…but only because they are cruel and ruthless. One day you could be worthy saving, even worthy my help in controlling your powers… but that time is far away. You'll have to prove yourself. I'm not going to offer you pardon… or any gifts for free."_

"People always say that God has the power to help us. If you had the power to help Anna back then, and you didn't play God, why didn't you offer her a decent shot at life?"

"I did what I thought the best. I knew she was capable of changing… of redeem herself. I couldn't tell her I wasn't able to help her, 'cause she would have come back to Mystique, to a twisted life that was destroying and dooming her. I told her what she wanted to hear.- he pauses, on his knee, trying to caresses the face of the mutant that now has the full control over her powers, but that, at the time, for more than 10 years, hasn't been able to touch anyone or anything who was breathing – I thought I'd forgot almost totally it"

"There's nothing you have forgot, Charles - she clarifies, crossed arms, looking cruelly at him, sitting again on his desk – I found a piece here, another one there, and I put them together. It's like splicing a damaged tape back together. You have suppressed your memories, Charles, fragmentized them and put them in different pieces, but nothing's lost."

"Did you wonder if there was a reason behind it? Maybe it was for the best! - as he leaves his spot and goes closer to her, hands in his pockets, the find themselves again in the vertigo-like void – I was arrogant, and sure of my own rectitude that I never…"

"I have enough of this Bullshit, Charles! – She says as she slaps him on the face, first time first – why can't you accept that you can be wrong? Of course you were arrogant… the one like us… we all are! My arrogance came from being young, because I've never been tested against the world coming back bleeding, because I couldn't remember it, because I could change things, if I wanted. Everyone hits the wall once or twice, even more times; maybe… they all did but us, because they don't have powers like ours. We are sinner, Charles, we made mistakes, and commit sins… but Tony… you… even my boyfriend… there's people who keeps telling me that our sinners are bigger and more bearable because our reach is greater. – she keeps shouting at him, eyes red now from the tears, as they are now inside the monitor room outside the Infirmary, years before Rogue but after Scott, after Rogue, after Bobby, and as she comes closer to the glass, skimming over it, looking at a merely out of teenage Scott and Charles, she quits shouting at him, and lets him go – tell me, Charles, what's that for you? Is that another station? The place where you understood what you were? I told you it was going to be painful… this is the only way." 

"_Alex and Jean, they were there… professor… what I've done?" " there's hope, my boy, now, all you need to do is relax, and sleep." "but… I can't… I can't…"_

"Did you realize that this Xavier and you have become one and only? - she asks, as he looks at his legs, realizing it has been the one to do the talking with the now sleeping Scott. – You didn't look at this, you lived this. Why? What did you feel? What do you feel now?"

"I'm not a puzzle to solve to you or anyone. Even Emma tried this game on me. I can't undo what I did, and I'm not going to try to justify it. I'm not going to plead my cause to you or anyone"

"You needed Scott back in shape for save the others, trapped on Krakoa. But you never asked him. You took him from granted, like you did with every one of us. You were God, the great Majesty, and we were the ants."

"I accept my guilt" he screams again

"Oh, no, you're convincing yourself of it, because you don't like to think about what you did. Sorry, not enough. – she snaps her fingers on her right hand, and show him everything – look at what you did, Charles, then we'll discuss "guilt" together… wonna remember the time you killed your own sister while you were still in your mother's womb – she flashes him images of him and Cassandra – when you erased Erik's consciousness, transforming him in a vegetal and creating Onslaught – flashes – and, what about the one who suffered the most? They were the ones you said you cared for. Scott, Gabrielle, Logan… and even me. Because you had a greater good to follow, but, in truth, it was just an excuse to do whatever you wanted!"

"I didn't have these memories anymore!"

"As I told you, Charles – she says, kneeing at his side, still cold but less cynic – you can't lift yourself by your own bootstraps… it's a question of leverage. It's not only easier for someone else to find the right fulcrum… it's easier for me, because of what I am, for the combination of my powers."

"You do what you came for, woman – he says, clenching his teeth- you proved your point. Now let me go"

"You know, Charles – she says, less and less cold, caressing him – if you were God, all seeing and all knowing, the things you did… you'd be unforgivable. This is the standard you're judging yourself, Charles. And it shows you haven't learned anything."

"I have enough of this now!"

"I came back hare for my memories, Charles – she says, as she touches his forehead with her right index, finding themselves in a place he merely remembers – consciously – and a place she doesn't remember at all, at least, not at the time. – That's what I really came here for, Charles. I came here for my past….Please – she pauses, as they find themselves in a child's room, the room of a baby girl, of a merely 4 years old baby girl, who's trying to hide herself inside her wardrobe, between tears, pushed inside it by her older sister, a teenager, while a monster, a roaring creature she recognizes immediately as Lucien, is trying to force the door – I didn't remember Marion this way… I though this memory was lost to me" although painful, she smiles, seeing her sister, being at her side. – I need to know if she died, I need to know if…"

"No- he states, smiling a little, as he sees it… as they see it. They see Lucien, finally inside the room. They see Marion fighting him with a psy-sword. They see her vanishing like into oblivion, teleported by some unknown force, like a teleporting disk of Illyana, they see him approaching her, scared as never before, as she never will be again, with her parents dead downstairs… - but I'm not sure what happened to her."

"How do you… - she pauses, as she looks at the scene, forming in front of themselves – oh, here it is, the memory we were looking for..- she is scared like that day, as she sees Lucien taking her, ready to eat her, to take her head like he promised to his master… but then… - it was me? I… I stopped him?"

"You froze almost the whole city of London – he pauses, going near her little self, crying while everything around her is motionless – seeing your parents' deaths, awakened your powers… and you lost yourself in the world's thoughts, and, in order to get back home, you froze everything, to not ear it. – He pauses – Lucien… you didn't froze him, but you… somehow you made contact with him. You reversed on him all the people's thoughts, and he couldn't stand it, he had to leave."

"I remember- she says, as, dressed with her normal clothes, looks at Xavier entering in the room and put a hand on her head. – I remember you coming, touching me. And I fall asleep. When I awakened… MARIA, Howard, and Tony were there."

"Apparently, I was there too- he says, as the images changes again, and he was there with the Starks, with Tony, and one moment they see him, and the other one… -I'm sorry"

"Pretty sure it wasn't going to be easy, explaining them that mum was magical and Dracula's most loyal servant killed her and my father- she says, a little cold, but like she was getting it…. And, then, here they are, both the images: Scott asleep, and her, doing the same - Look at them, sleeping that peacefully. You thought the truth was going to broke us? When Scott learned of Gabriel's death, Gabriel was alive again… and when I found out about what happened to my parents, it was because their killers had come back to get me, and just because someone told me, I didn't know any of it. Neither of us deserved to live with that burden – she says caressing herself- not for a single day."

"Christine, I… – he pauses, looking at the soil – I really thought it was right and…"

"You'd deserve to be kicked in the ass repeatedly for what you did to us, Charles – she smiles, a little – but your choices, your consequences. Like everybody, like all of us. -As she says so, they find themselves in her room, her in physical form, almost whispering, and Xavier in his astral form. – _make me proud. Listen to the ones who truly love you. Concentrate on what matters, and don't dwell on what can't be changed. We've made mistakes, but I also knew a great joy, so I have no regrets." _Moira said while she was dying. I think she was right… it's what we both need to remember right now, don't you think? – She pauses, walking into his direction, right hand on the back of her head – but…. Not ask me to absolve you."

"I.. – he says, crying even in his "ghost-form" – Jean told me more than once that life and death can be the same thing… that death can open new possibilities. And I think – he smirks – that she knew better than anyone. I'm glad I saw you again… that we helped each other… and I know you're in good hands… your own. - As he says so, he offers her hand, and, instinctively, she grabs for it like for dear life, like she could really touch it… and, although she can't, he knows that it's all in the gesture. – good bye" and, as he says so, he vanishes, in purple light, and Chris walks in direction of another wardrobe, and, again, knees in front of it, she fights to put back the tears.

"We all did mistakes, Charles. Your biggest one was to send us to do your dirty work, without asking us – as she says so, she opens a closet and take something from it, a purple piece of fabric with something in it, holding the package in her hands, trembling – we all do mistakes, but if we do them on our own, it's just us the ones who has to live with the consequences. And I fear that soon I'll have to be the one to deal with them… because someone will have to stop Osborn… and I'm not sure I'd be able to allow them to be the ones to be hated for that…" as she whispers that to herself, she puts the gun that formerly belonged to Domino back into its place, almost jumping, scared that she'll not make it in time… but, as soon as Miss Marvel opens the door, the gun is back in the wardrobe, and she is sitting with her back against the bed, crying eyes at the ceiling.

"Chris, there is some news… Natasha contacted us, said she has some information about Tony…" Carol says, kneeling in front of the team-mate on the verge of crying, putting a hand on her right shoulder.

"Osborn has him, I know it. It was everywhere." She wipes her tears away with her sleeve, like she was a child. Remembering the child she once was, and remembering the times she did it as a child, when she lost her parents: Tania and John, the parents that she merely remembers, and Maria and Howard – mum and daddy, her mummy and daddy, hers and Tony's.

"No, he doesn't. She said she wants you and Captain America to join her as soon as possible… you have to go to Oklahoma."

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Next: A gathering of heroes has to take a stand; as Tony "Iron Man" lies in his death bed, they have to take a decision... is he worthy saving, or the world is better off without him? be here next month as the greatest heroes of the world come back together in order to see if RIASSEMBLING TONY STARK is possible!


	37. Iron man: Reassembling Tony Stark part 1

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**Invincibled Iron man, the tony stark disassembled arc

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #35 - Reassembling Tony STARK (part one)**

_"My name's Tony Stark and I am an alcoholic… - no? Oh, sorry, looks like it's the wrong meeting…._- inside the holographic message generated by J.A.R.V.I.S.' database, Tony smiles a little, dressed and looking like he once used to be, sitting on what few of them remember was the chair on his office on the helicarier. – _Anyway, no crying, please, ok? That goes especially you, Chris. Yeah? Yeah, okay, so…"_

_I'm not crying. And I can't believe he was trying to let it sound like funny! _Chris, standing like the others, dressed in civvies – black Lacoste polo-shirt(that leaves glimpsing her triqueta tattoo on her left hip) and classic skinny jeans with white, blue striped Adidas sneakers(*)isn't telepathically talking with the others, just… thinking between herself, while, in fact, she fights back the tears, and bites the black-nailed nail of her right index finger.

_"Once done recording this on Pepper's unit, I'll have to handle the keys to Osborn. If you watching this, everything went horribly wrong… but I promise that everything will start to go horribly right again soon. Eh, that might sound weird, I know... – _he smiles again, to let the smile disappear after few seconds – _because if I'm right, and, c'mon, I usually am… - _he lets out a breath, exhaling deeply – _Persistent vegetative state, right? Right…"_

_Why the hell is he still trying to let is sound funny? What kind of jerk he is? Did he really think I was going to find it funny?_

_"Maybe I'm already dead, but you managed to… well, you know what. Anyway, if I'm dead… MK 1616, seize Stark-drive X and fly in the nearest active volcano, ok? Ok – _he pauses, taking again a deep breath and then looking again in front of him, like he could actually see them – _assembled there, between you, there are the tools and the knowledge to… bring me back. To reboot me, as my sister would like to say it."_

_I can believe he thought I could find it funny… he was sick. I had to know the alcohol destroyed all his brain-cells a long time ago…_

_"Do you want me back? Can you forgive me? Because, here the thing. I'm not apologizing. What happened, it simply happened. It happened because it happened. And you don't have to apologize, either, what's in the past lays into the past."_

"Me? Apologizing? He turned his back to me and I should be the one asking for pardon? It was just your fault if I did what I did! – Chris pauses a little to regain control of her – sorry, didn't mean to snap. Pretend it didn't happen."

"_I had a good time, ok? I had a great time. And along the way I even helped a little… maybe. And…I'm saying this because every one of us knew there no happy ending. We all know this lesson. We die… heroes die… Cap- Bucky, Thor, you know it. Bill. Janet. Clint. And even the X-men do…Jean Grey, Kitty Pride, and now, even Charles…."_

Charles. Hearing the name of this common acquaintance – that, unknown to Tony at the time, was still alive – her heart skips a beat and she unwillingly dilates her pupils. Did he knew, when he registered the message, what she now does? Did Extremis do to him what her "new" mutant ability was doing to her? Did he know that they shared a past with Xavier?

_ "This is our job. And our retirement plan coincides with our death… and, recently, a whole lot of us are on It.…and… and, this isn't the real deal. The real deal is… is that the bad guys are waiting around for us to fall apart, and I'm not any longer on this "falling apart" business. They are doing "divide and conquer", and we're doing the divide routine… we're putting our heads on silver platters for these guys again and again and again because… because, as someone once said me, we let us get in the way of stopping them… - that would be me, I guess, _Chris says, sitting close to the hospital bed, her eyes, almost full of un-cried tears, trying to stop the urge to skim over the hands of her beloved older brother - _and so… as I said, I'm not apologizing for what I've done, but, well, I'm done – _another longue pause, another long breath, an action mimicked by Chris, a mirror the reflected from a very young age all the actions and the nervous tick that she "took" from her brother – _I've destroyed everything at SHIELD that I've built and that Osborn could exploit. There are few suits, but no repulsor power, so you'll be ok when it all comes down. The 1616 is loaded with a viral assault for Osborn's data-spine; whatever he has left, should be negligible for the ones that handed Ultron his ass few times. Zak Stane's attack on Star industries crippled our repulsor power capabilities, and, whatever he thinks, Normie is too stupid to figure out how to make them on his own. The only living person who knows exactly how to make them and how they work is you, Chris. But I know Osborn quite well, and he will never ask you for help, even if he would end holding you captive – which I'd not let it happen…better if we don't push our luck too far."_

_"_Been there, done that. Sorry. You had to say it before… and I'm sure he was desperate enough to be ready to ask for my help." she can't help but smile a little.

_"Because he thinks too little of you, and, besides, there are no longer the resources to actually make them. It means that the only functioning one is the one you've got, Pep. Be good to it and it will be good to you. – _the hologram pauses again – _so…this is it, and if I die, I'm dying with a clean conscience….and… I want you to… it's going to take the 3 of us – Cap, Thor and Iron Man, together – to clean it all up. You know, people say… people say "let go, and let God". This is me letting go. And, differently from you, Chris, I've never believed in God, but… Cap and Thor… they were… whatever sense of a higher power in this life I had, it come from them, from you, from who you thought I could be. Whenever I looked up, you were the ones I was looking at, for guidance, and leadership… and now… now, absolution. So... this is it, for real, now, I mean. Let 1616 know what you decide and we'll get into the how of it all…"_

_"_I've never begged in my whole life, but I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to…" Chris, still sitting, her hands on her face to cover it, is saying, but, as soon as she is going to end the sentence, the hologram re-stars.

_"One more thing, real quick… in the case I couldn't come back… or you wouldn't me to… Osborn. He will lose it. He will lose Control. Control of this game he thinks he is playing. When he'll squeeze it all too hard… something will slip through his fingers… and in this chaos, there will be blood and thunder and that's when you'll beat him –_he grins, almost evilly – _I mean… think of him and his gang like cars on a highway. Dozens of car, moving very fast and very independently down the same stretch of road. Say… a deer runs in front of Norman's car. He jacks the wheel one way, swerves; everybody is speeding up or breaking. And they all start crashing into each other. That's Osborn, people. And those are his goons, always, and always, and always. We need to be like… a school of fish. A hundred little pieces reacting as one coming apart… coming together… asymmetrical, independent, and independent all at once. Think like a school of fish, guys. Think resilient. And… -_he pauses again, blinking his blue eyes, like worried, taking breaths – _and… that made me think of another thing. You must be prepared for heavy casualties, before, during. After Osborn needs shock as cover when he makes his moves and when we strike back, when you strike back, he'll dig in and get messy….Okay….okay… that's it." _

"Please, could someone tell me I'm just having one of my usual nightmares?" – Chris says, hands on her face to cover it, or to try to wake herself up from this nightmarish and unreal situation – that's so not happening…" 

_"_Man, Tony…" Don Blake, M.D. and human "host" to Thor, is sitting on a chair as Chris does, and is massaging his two-day beard, thinking what Captain America, the previous Bucky, Says at loud.

"That's unbelievable"

"When I met him he was weird but… was this insane when you worked for him, Hill?"

"More or less, Natasha"

"Maybe it's because he raised me, but the first and last part made sense… mostly, more or less. I mean… that was pretty much his vision of life. dad wanted us to be the perfect politicians and strategists… – Chris allows herself a soft, sad smile, as, again, pulls her right hand back, like she was scared, a couple of inches from his forehead – I'm still trying to get all the cars and deer and fish school metaphors, though." Everything that the long haired brunette says is merely a whisper, and it's hard to say if even the others heard her words; probably, the only thing that they get is the last part, said with a hint of a smile, almost joking.

"We bring him back, we have to. Blake?" Cap leaves his spot and goes closer to the second still "living" member of the holy trinity of super-heroes.

"Of course we will! It's my moral imperative… he is sick and there's a way to heal him. It's just… everything's is a trivia, right now."

"The crazy bastard pulled this off, so I say yes – Hill answers, standing still – he might be a suit, but he has nerves of steel"

"I blew my cover and almost ended in a gulag….we close the deal, and I say we do. – Natasha comes closer, and puts and hand on Chris' left shoulder, kneeling a little on her, making the telepath wincing – Christine?"

"What kind of question is this? – she almost shouts, tears finally leaving her eyes, turning to face, full of anger, Natasha, for the mere question, ready to let all the pressure and anger and everything else that she bottled up explode in a single moment – he is my only family, and you ask me if I want him back? Bloody Hell, of course I agree!"

**There is, as Mr. Stark said, a second presentation, explaining how to…. Reboot him – **J.A.R.V.I.S. "says" in front of the bed, where Tony lays, open eyes as he could see them, intubate – **if you'll agree to proceed with this operation, I'll play it now. May I have your answer, Ms. Potts?**

"I'm… I'm so sorry, but… I need some time…" Pepper can't take it any longer, and running away from the room they find themselves is, along the stairs, she collapses into tears, leaving them on their own and without an answer.

"I can't say I blame her – Chris says, still sitting a little calmer now, closed eyes and taking a big breath while running her hands through her brownish- reddish hair, feeling their eyes on her, like she should be mad at the woman, or be the one to run after her, instead of Hill, to convince her to do what they all think must be done - we went through that much in the last couple of years… and although Tony is always part of… of our family… and I so want him back… still, he isn't the only one we lost. With Genosha, the Decimation, Stamford, and the Invasion… my husband Alec, Jean Grey, Steve, Bill Foster, Janet, Happy… so many died… and he is the one who gets the chance at coming back" 

"You are scared." The physician she has been introduced to, says going to sit near her, looking at Tony's immobile body as Chris starts to look at the ceiling, hands still in her hair; they've said his name is Don Blake, but she is not stupid – and she didn't need Cap or Natasha to tell her he was the "human host" of Thor.

"Yes" she adamantly admits, closed eyes, without facing the young blond man. Somehow, every time she meets someone who has come back, she asks herself why they look younger than before their "deaths"; looking at this man, having seen pictures from more than a decade before, she can say it's the case; he even looks younger than Pete – and Pete should be a way younger than him.

"I've never figured you out as the kind of person who gets scared. Not after I found out you were an x-man. Even with Jean Grey and her returns, you should know better than us that, to quote Tony "dying is the super-hero retirement plan", don't you? – Natasha grins, almost winking at her, a smile that somehow seems a laugher, as, staying at her back, put her hands on her shoulders – but, somehow, I think that's not what you're scared of, right? – Tasha relaxes a little, a sad smile on her lips, while going under them, closer than before – Xavier, although still alive, has been partly depowered by Osborn's machines. Emma Frost is stuck into diamond. The Cuckoos have lost their fragment of the Phoenix Force. Psylocke is mostly a telekineth. It means that, currently, you're the most powerful psych of the planet. But, still…" Natasha grins, as she shows Chris that she is really intelligence super-star, demonstrating what a great knowledge of the "X-Men archives" she has gained.

"You didn't touch him. You didn't try to make mind-contact with him. You didn't try to use your powers to reboot him." Dan ends Natasha's thoughts, still looking not at the brunette, but in front of himself, at Tony, a hand under his chin, like to concentrate.

"I'm not scared of dying. I mean, I know that, even in our line of work, it's something inevitable. If not one time, it will be the next one, and one day, you'll look at yourself and you'll realize that you've reached the last page of your book. Besides, once you have Venom trying to eat you and Bullseye firing at you at same time and you don't freak out, you quit being scared of death- she almost laughs, as she says so, remembering that time, when Wisdom and Tony saved her life, just to regain composure immediately after – No, Dr. Blake's right. I haven't tried to use my powers on him, although it could be the most reasonable thing to do, because I'm scared to. I'm scared of finding his mind empty, finding out he was wrong and there's nothing we can do to save him. I'm scared of losing myself in the void and in the silence… the silence… that's the part that scares me the most. I'm scared that, if I'll feel all that silence inside me, I'll get lost, and I'll no longer be able to break the contact… I'm so used to the telepathic white noise that without it… you think it had to be vice-versa, but it isn't. It's not the voices that drive us crazy, it's the silence. Hell, - she grins again, almost laughing -when the High Evolutionary turned our powers off, I almost went crazy – she pauses, to look at the man at her side, who, feeling her look on him, turns to face her – do you really want to bring him back? Even with everything he did? And I'm not talking about the Civil War. I'm talking about…"

"What happened between Tony and Thor, it stays between Tony and Thor. I'm a doctor, and it's my medical imperative to cure a sick man."

"I know what Thor thinks of it… well; at least I think I do. I know the feeling of finding out you've been used by someone you trusted and saw as a friend… he thinks he created an aberration, an abomination, an insult, using his genetic code, the same genetic code he extrapolated from one of his hair he collected on their very first meeting, without letting him know it, without his permission, and tried to tell the word it was the real deal. He thinks Tony defiled his body, desecrated his trust, violated everything that it is and he stands for.- she pauses as he looks at her, almost surprised by hear the same words Thor used with Tony while they met in New Orleans months ago, before the Invasion – what can I say, I'm the best sister of ever, always checking on her brother... – she grins, almost a laugh, so quiet that it's vanished even before it could actually start, as she gets serious again – I wasn't around Tony at the time he come out with the idea of cloning y… him. But I know my brother. I know what people thinks of him, and they are wrong… mostly. Tony's a good man; it's just that his solutions sometimes are a little too… extreme. He didn't want to give that… creature in Shield's hands, but… he was trapped into the game. He couldn't support the SHRA and not listening to their orders. But the… the creature… when he created it, he was scared. He thought about a scenario where y… Thor was gone, and there was a treat so big only the Mighty lord of Asgard could stop it. I can't say what he did was right, because, obviously, it wasn't, but it's how we've been raised. And he did it with the best of intentions. But as a friend of mine once said, _I walked through Hell's road, and they were paved with your good intentions…__"_

"We are all going to bring him back!" as the wooden door to room 26 is suddenly opened wide, Chris turns, as everyone else, and look at the person who just talked: Pepper Potts is standing into the doorway, her voice imperative and sure, but, somehow, she is crying, too, like a weight had just been released by her tiny and mortal and human shoulders. And, as soon as everybody is inside the room, Chris leaves her chair, almost flying, jumping out of it, tears of joy in her eyes as she hugs firmly the dark skinned man – man in blood and bones and only blood and bones- in front of them, her arms around his neck, her head hidden between his shoulder and his head, as he hugs her back, hands on her back gently pecking it.

"Jim! Oh God, Jim… I'm so glad you are here and that you are okay! I'm so sorry for what happened, and for what I did to you! It's all my fault, well, not only, but in part, I mean, Tony thought about it, but I went along with it and I thought it was a good idea, but I swear to God, it was only supposed to be something to help us buying you time while we regenerated you a new body, and I know things didn't go as we planned, and I'm sorry for what happened with Osborn and I know I haven't behave like myself in the last months, I but I really meant well, and I'm just glad that you have a human body back, and I hope everything will stay in the past. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I'd like to have a civil friendship with you, because you've been not only my bodyguard, but friend, too, and then you saved my life too, a couple of times, and I'm so sorry I had to lie to you, but I didn't want to put people in danger or in jeopardy because I was a mutant, and I didn't know how you all could react, or the world could react, and…"

"Easy girl, breath – he says, smiling on her head, as his military shirt is wet by tears, the same tears she cried while talking without taking a single breath – you remember how you are supposed to do it, right? "

"It's good to have you back"

"Well, at least this time I got the hug in place of the dead guy…" he says, smirking, as he releases her, letting her see that he bring along other 2 people.

"the dead… -she says as she, again, wipes away the tears with her hands, facing, open mouth and wide eyes, the man in his early 30s, who's smiling and offering her his right. It doesn't matter that is actually the second time that they meet, although the first one they spoke for just few minutes, HE is WHO he is. And she is the kind of person, the kind of hero, still an amateur, in certain ways, a "kid" who'll always be fascinated and in subjection of this man – Sir…"

"You let her speechless. Good work Steve; it's the first time it happens since I know her. And I know her since I know Tony… meaning, from a really long time." Jim's almost laughing, as she, without even noticing it, gives him her best deadly and annoyed look.

"It's… a… pleasure…. to see you again, sir. I'm sorry we didn't have time to properly introduce each other last time in New York but the X-men had an emergency in town and asked my assistance, and…" She says, still uneasy, eyes focused on their shaking hands, almost buttering the words that come out of her mouth.

"The same goes here, Dr. Stark. I had things to do myself, too.… I'd like to tell you that I've heard many things about you from your brother, but I'd lie, I'm sorry – he still smiles, not a bit uneasy – what I know about you it's what the press says, and it is not a bit nice – he grins a little – with some additions by Clint… but it's not like he is nicer than them. "

"Oh, please – she says, her hand free, and in her back-pocket like the left one, trying to fake at her best a regained control – my husband learned that Tony was my brother two weeks before the wedding, when I had to explain him why on the newspapers was written that "Tony Stark's sister has won the Nobel Prize" and not my name. – she pauses, serious and but unsure, facing again Rhodey, an hand still in her pocket while the other one on the back of her head – not that isn't amazing and etc and etc, but… why are you here?"

"Iron Man is in trouble, and we're going to bring him back." Steve Roger says, serious and a little cold, while she turns to look at him.

"Dr. Stark – Dr. Lisk, the grey haired man who operated Pepper say looking at her – May I ask if you are already aware of what we're going to do?"

Chris takes a long breath, at closed eyes, and, crossed arms, as she re-opens her black orbs she looks at the man in the eyes, mistress of herself and her actions again, like she just turned off her "emotional chip", like she once joked quoting Star Trek, one of her favorite TV shows. "we haven't already listened to my brother's instructions, BUT knowing him, given my ability to analyze data to extrapolate the majorly possible scenario, considering the advices I gave him in the past, and given our collective presence here, I can say that I know what we are going to do with a probability of mistake of 1 on 1.000.000… - she turns, and walks in direction of the chair we they had been before, facing Tony – and I'm not kidding."

_(Later)_

"Are you aware that this is crazy? We're having surgery if an hotel room!" Lisk pauses, looking at his staff and at the woman in front of him, Christine Stark, who, although having a Dr. in her name, isn't a medical doctor, but is still dressed like one and being a part of the operation.

"This is Dr. Blake's cabinet – she calmly explains, as she looks at what the staff is doing – this place is where he has surgery. If he can, with all due respect, you can, too. Besides, it's not like we had that many more chances. – She pauses, putting herself between the beds of Pepper and Tony – the first step of the process that will bring Tony back is removing the repulsor unit from Ms. Potts' chest…. And inserting it into Tony's one. Connected with his heart, from now on the electromagnetic repulsor battery will fuel his biology from now on, like it did in the past."

"With all due respect, I still don't understand why you have to assist me and Dr. Blake. As Mr Stark explained in his presentation, I've been the one who put this into Ms Potts' chest, and I'm sure that…"

"Because, Ms Potts was basically a sane being, while my brother isn't, and my ability to work on molecular level could come at hand. Relax; I've assimilated Dr. Henry McCoy's medical knowledge once"

"Ms Potts wasn't…"

"The repulsor was meant only to accelerate her recovery, Doc. She decided to keep it, but it wasn't a life-or-death choice. Somehow, the woman thought that being a super-hero could be… cool. Bet she regrets it every single day of her life. Hell, I do! – she pauses, looking at the staff, crossed arms, waiting for her moment to come while they are operating on Pepper – Pepper's body is, forgive my similitude, back on-line, while, obviously, Tony's one isn't. It has forgotten how to work, and who and what its possessor was. Meaning, we're going to fix it with the coolest technology of ever" under the mask, she is smirking. She is control, concentrated, and focused. And it's the first time in a while.

"I still don't get why you should be here. I worked on Potts' operation and…"

"You don't know my brother's biology. Unique biology, if I may add. – she says as she takes the battery from the doctor, still into the tongs _–_ you can open him now, Doc_. _– she pauses, looking at the operation with red glowing eyes, almost closed like to concentrate better, thanks to her computer-like lenses- and now, as we'll spread_, _you'll get what I mean."

"Are those Wires? Are those….wires… in his lungs?- Don looks first at the open body in front of himself, then at the staff, and, least, at Chris, who's laughing under her teeth. – man, I knew Tony had undergone some kind of transformation, but I thought it was just mental, no that it went that… far…"

"As I told you, my brother has a unique physiology. You see – she explains, carefully, more focused, as she keeps in her right the scalpel, explaining the thing more to Pepper's doctor than to Blake, who's more open to this kind of things- a couple of years ago, more or less – she explains, as a nurse dry the sweat from her forehead, and she uses with her left a kind of medical tongs that McCoy developed to help him in his line of work even with his paws –Tony's life crossed the Extremis, a biological weapon meant to enhancicle the human body into organic technology. A bit more, please. As I was saying, to stop the first subjects, he underwent the procedure himself… a procedure… light please. Could someone clear the wound? I need to find the right wires… anyway, the procedure alters the human body, recreating and redesigning the way his inside worked – she smirks a little, as she telepathically tells the doctor how to operate on Tony's body – many of these things are useless stuff, but I'm pretty sure that there's still something salvable… like some cables we could use in order to let this little jewel work better. In the same way, the transformation Extremis made will help us to bring Tony's memory back into his body. – She smirks, again, a little full of herself – Extremis and me, if we want to be completely honest. Rotate his head of 45° on his right, please. Could someone shave this point on the back of his neck, please?"

"There's a USB port… on the back of his neck?"

"You think this is weird, Doc? I'll tell you what's weird: finding an old photo of your boyfriend, and realizing that, with beard and mustaches, is the actual photocopy of your brother. That's weird. – She smiles a little, noticing how people are a bit uneasy with her talking – sorry. Sometimes I forget that not everyone on the planet can multitask."

"Are you keeping yourself occupied, Christine?" Don says, smiling.

"Ehy, not my fault I can multitask. Besides, it's true. Can't believe I haven't noticed how Pete and Tony are physically similar…- she grins again – the hard drive, please…"

"Is that really an USB port?"

"More or less – she says as she is going to connect the Hard Drive to his spine – this is the only thing in the word that this drive plugs into. As soon as it will be connected with Tony's spine, with the repulsor on and going, it will serve as boot disk… and install itself… into... his mind… - she pauses again, as, again, the nurse removes the sweat from her tired face, after hours of surgery – when I first come back after my "avoiding- Tony – Stark – who's – just- a -liar" years, my brother and I finally come to terms… and he put me to work on few of his glorious armors. But me, being the extremely pessimistic and careful smartest girl of the planet whom I am, I created a little hidden program, that uploaded any information from Tony's brain into a hard disk. When I explained him my idea, he backed himself up. (**) – she pauses – now… for let the magic happen, we need to charge the repulsor in order to reactivate it… and this is where World's Greatest Heroes come in… and where I use my technological knowledge."

"Here's the cable. – the doctor says handling her meters of reinforced wires – Colonel Rhodes said he got every inch of it, stripping it out the suit and braid them all together."

"Ok, ok…let's see… take out these mounting clips…. Attach them to the repulsor battery… take out those ones… and attach them to one end of the cabling… now… all we need is the impulse… but, since we no longer have facilities that could provide such an impulse, we'll have to improvise… - she pauses, as she leaves her seat and moves out from the room, removing those clothes – meaning, dr. Blake, that we need a roof and your Partner…"

_(Roof, later)_

"I know I told it before, but this is crazy!"

"Genius and craziness walk side by side, Doc – Chris says as she, again in her civvies, looks at the sky, and the incoming storm – welcome to my family"

"It will kill him!"

"He was positive that this procedure will not be lethal. I know that he sounded insane… that the whole thing sounds insane… but it's going to work."

"If tony and his sis say that this is gonna work... – Rhodey says facing the doctor, a hand on Chris' shoulder as she looks at the scene praying – no matter how insane it seems, it usually works."

"Usually" the doc points out.

"It Will Work" Chris turns to face the man, mad, almost fuming, red in eyes and in her usually pale face.

"It will kill him. It will electrocute him, blow his heart or set him on fire– he puts himself in front of his fellow doctor – Blake, surely you understand the danger…"

"I said... that it. Will. Work! – Chris says facing him, her eyes now shining red in psychic energy, the tiredness of the previous hours forgotten, as she looks at the 50-something ME with crying eyes, her again long hair flying wild in the air, shining of red reflexes as in flames when the lightings illuminate them- I'm a mutant, Doc. An omega level mutant – meaning that I'm one of the most powerful ones of the planet… - she pauses – and, currently, I'm actually the most powerful one, at least among the psyches, and one of the few reaming human computers on the planet. If I say that, with my mutant ability of calculating thousands of scenarios at the same time, I calculated the odds and I saw that the odds are on our side, it means that they really are!"

"I'm with her, Doc. Besides, Tony is always Tony. – Don says – And if Tony said it's how we are supposed to bring him back, it's how we are going to bring him back – he pauses, lifting his cane into the air – I'm just worried about the shield…"

"What about the fact that I calculated AGAIN everything you all don't understand, exactly?"

"Chris…" Rhodey says sweetly but firmly, putting again a hand on her shoulder, from the back, rolling eyes and arching eyebrows.

"Sorry, I'm done with snapping, really. It's just that… although I know it will work… I can't help but being worried. He is still family after all, isn't he?"

"The shield can take it, just smack it dead center" Steve says.

"They'll be fine" Bucky adds. They are both smiling.

"Blake, you can't seriously considerate this… - Tony's doctor looks again at the group, kneeling on his patient's side, while looking at wide eyes at the sky, and, at the same time….it's like he is praying them, praying them to not do anything stupid, the stupid thing they're going to do. – Dr. Stark, I hope you have some sense left in you and…"

"Doc, I know that right now I seem full of myself, I'm well aware of that. – She holds him out one hand, a little cold, looking distant, like she didn't care at all about this man in front of her, the other hand firmly on her hip – like I'm well aware that I'm actually full of myself… but I've always trusted my brother with my life, as I did with Jim Rhodes and the Avengers. I trusted them with my life – she smiles a little as he stands at her side – I still do, and the day they'll do the same… it will be a great day. Every person here trusted my brother with their lives… they trusted Tony, they still do, and Tony have faith in them."

"So, you really are considering to…" he closes his eyes, he can't stand to look at this…

"Yes" Don smiles, and, as his stick hits the grounds, thunders and storm hits as well, echoing in their ears, and the flash of light who falls in front of them is so strong that, for a moment, they are blind… and it's so incredible, and so beautiful, and they are so stunning that, once they are in one piece again, they almost forget that Thor, Norse God of Thunder, Son of Odin, King of Asgard, is indeed in front of them, hitting with his mystic hammer the shield and sending the energy to Tony's body, but that it's still… it use to be Blake. More or less… not that Chris really cares. She doesn't give a damn about him right now. Because, as the thunderbolt hits him, Tony screams, for a fraction of second, Just a fraction, but enough to hope for something better, something good, to come out of this. And, frankly, for Chris Stark is enough. And for once, she doesn't give a damn about people seeing her crying.

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Next: A gathering of heroes has took stand, as Tony "Iron Man" lies in his death bed. the greatest heroes of the world come back together in order to see if RIASSEMBLING TONY STARK is possible... be here next month for the last part of the Riassembling tony arc story arc, as the road to siege is already here!


	38. Iron Man: reassembling Tony Stark part 2

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:**Invincibled Iron man, the tony stark disassembled arc

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_Previosuly on Blackdragon: _

_"So, you really are considering to…" he closes his eyes, he can't stand to look at this…_

_"Yes" Don smiles, and, as his stick hits the grounds, thunders and storm hits as well, echoing in their ears, and the flash of light who falls in front of them is so strong that, for a moment, they are blind… and it's so incredible, and so beautiful, and they are so stunning that, once they are in one piece again, they almost forget that Thor, Norse God of Thunder, Son of Odin, King of Asgard, is indeed in front of them, hitting with his mystic hammer the shield and sending the energy to Tony's body, but that it's still… it use to be Blake. More or less… not that Chris really cares. She doesn't give a damn about him right now. Because, as the thunderbolt hits him, Tony screams, for a fraction of second, Just a fraction, but enough to hope for something better, something good, to come out of this. And, frankly, for Chris Stark is enough. And for once, she doesn't give a damn about people seeing her crying. _

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #36 - Reassembling Tony STARK (part two)**

_Same place, same roof, later…._

"Tony? Tony, please, c'mon, you need to answer me… you have to… Tony, please, please, don't you dare to do that to me you too…" Chris is on her knees, at one side of her brother, while, facing her, there's Don Blake again, checking the vitals on the man who… the man they were supposed to bring back from the death. She is crying, desperately, in front of everyone, sobbing, her voice is almost a whisper. She embraces herself with one hand. She is furiously biting the fingernail of the other one like a scared little child. Her face is just a mask of what once used to be – her eyes are so wide open, her pupils so dilated, she seems high on heroin or who knows what. She is panicking, almost in shock.

"Did you kill Him?" she can hear a voice. She knows it belongs to Maria Hill… and it's the only thing she can think about… what she said, is it true? Is her brother really dead?

"Hill, shut up" Don silences her, but Chris suspects it's because he doesn't want her to interfere with his work.

"Hill, you're not exactly helping – Rhodey goes at her level, standing on one knee, and puts a hand on one of her shoulders. He'd like to force her to look at him but he can't. How long does he know her? He knows the answer: as long as he does Tony, more than a decade. And he has never seen her like that… not even after Genosha. – Calm down, Chris… we need you in one piece. HE needs you to hold on."

"We didn't kill him, but… - Don Pauses, rubbing the back of his neck, as Chris stands up and holds on, not 100% but trying to get close enough to seem regain control of her – well, look at him, Rhodes."

"That's what I'm doing – although shifting from Tony to Chris once in a while – I don't understand it, I don't understand why he isn't awake… we did everything right… according to JARVIS, he should be conscious, but…"

"But it didn't work"

"We'll figure out what happened, Don – Steve puts a hand on the blonde man's shoulder to reassure him. – None of us are quite up to Tony's speed, even when he is comatose" And Chris can say he is smiling under the mask. Now she gets why Tony regretted that much the war.

"Wait a… HE NEVER REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS?" she doesn't know how it comes out; she is not sure herself how she wanted it sound, an affirmation or a question. She just knows she practically jumped in front of Blake.

"Chris, Tony never regained consciousness…- Rhodey calming her, again, but, as he sees her putting a hand on her chin and one on her right hip, her reflecting mode, he removes the hand he was going to put again on her shoulder – Oh, Oh."

"What is she doing? She was freaking out until a sec ago! - Maria looks at her and the others as well. the only not looking at her in a too weird way is Jim- he knows her too well, he understood what was going on the second he saw the position she was in. – I know she is a Stark, but I'm sure this is crazy and weird even for their standards"

"The wheels are turning. She is getting something, or she has an idea."

"He screamed. As the thunderbolt hit him, Tony screamed." Chris looks at her, like she was saying the most logical thing in the universe.

"No, he didn't do anything like that… - Maria looks confused from Chris to the others – he didn't, did he?"

"Why the hell do you think that I almost collapsed into tears? Ask Jim, I never cry when I'm around people or I know I'm controlled. I've a strong "no public display of tears" policy. I heard him screaming, and then, nothing. I assumed the worse. But if you didn't hear anything…."

"We didn't hear anything, but maybe, an omega level mutant with telepathic abilities…" Don starts

"…And with the power to connect her consciousness to any kind of net and electronic system could have felt something, if there's something left in there, right?" Jim's grinning when he ends the sentence, as she hits the palm of her right with her left fists.

"He was there, I felt it, just for a fraction of second… but he was there. I can still feel something, but it's so distant… it's, like, an echo… I can't even know where it comes from. I don't know what happened, but Tony is hiding in there for some unknown reason…or maybe he got lost; or maybe... the hard-drive has been designed for the utilization of Extremis; Extremis made his mind the equivalent of the last generation of internet connection, but now, with Extremis gone, is mind is like some analogical connection, you know, one of those old 56 k modems… his mind can no longer at that rate, and is having problem processing the information… but these are mere hypothesis…"

"Ok, then it's done! It's a psychic problem; you are the mistress of the mind; problem solved!" Hill states again.

"I'm good and powerful, and I received a hell of training from Xavier, but I have my own limitations… I'm not that good. To do my thing, I need a conscious psyche, because doing it while a person is in this state, is too dangerous, for both me and them. But there's someone whom we could ask for advice…"

_(Later. inside the motel, Pepper's room)_

"…Tony?- As she hears the voice of the woman she knows from such a long time, Chris stops to let her sight wonders outside the small window and turns to look at Pepper, reaching her side. Her voice, Pepper's voice, was a mere whisper, a mere whisper dedicated to the man she dedicated her life to… - Tony? Where is Him, where is…" As she seems to regain some force, she falls back down on the bed, taken for her wrists by Maria Hill with force and by Chris, who now sits at her side, with a gentle touch on her shoulder, while Natasha runs in search of one of the doctors.

"Potts – Chris says calling her as formally as she always did: she has never called the woman with her first name or Pepper, like Tony – you should listen to Hill and calm down"

"Yes, but, Tony….is he dead or alive or…"

"He's alive – Maria answers with a tear of sadness in her eyes – it didn't work, but he is still alive, and you'll be fine too."

"It didn't work? Why? It's impossible… how could Tony be wrong?" she is crying. And Chris' can't stand tears. Not because she doesn't do tears – although she never cries on front of people – but because it's tearing her apart. Pepper Potts is crying fifty thousand tears. The same tears she'd like to cry right now, the same tears that are trapped inside her heart.

"We don't know. Nobody does – as she says so, Maria looks with sad eyes at Chris, now again aware of where she is and whom she is with, but still unable to do something different from scratching her own hands with her nails and biting her lips – it's kind of miracle that we didn't set him on fire…"

"And now… now, what do we do? What do we do next?" And, as a Miracle, the same woman who escaped Avengers Tower and fooled Madame Masque is in front of her, no longer crying, holding herself back together in search of an answer. It's not that Chris is unaware that she should do the same; she knows that, but… hell, she is not sure she is that strong! She isn't getting it: current World's most powerful telepath, and Pepper Potts, former Secretary, a mere human, no super-hero training, is doing better than her…

"Cap left. Stark… - Maria clears her throat and clarifies – Chris says something about another doctor that could help. As I see things, they should call Richard or another one of those big brains and…"

"It doesn't make any sense. I mean, it's not right! We went through that much, and it didn't work!"

"Yeah, well, we've been pretty good at blowing it, lately"

"Speak for yourself, woman – Chris says smiling a little, again with them, as Maria is already leaving – I've been pretty good at blowing it in the last 20 or something years. Besides – her grin gets wider – it's not right saying that it didn't work. Tony's mind is still somewhere there. I felt his consciousness, for just a little while, but I did, it was something like… a newborn. It's like Tony is trying to elaborate all the information, but his mind of the download velocity are different. And if Cap and I are right, the doctor we're looking for could resolve the problem. I don't know when, but eventually, we'll have him back and…"- again, Chris stands and goes at the windows, giving the other her back, trying to fight back the tears, but finding herself unable to, clearly feeling unfit and uncomfortable – I think I'll go get a shower in my room, and then I'll try to hit the bed… see you… - as she leaves the room, as Pepper is doing the same to reach Tony, she hears Maria's voice, as high as the Banshee's, and the footsteps of two running persons – Hill? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"We have to move and run! - Maria says as she reaches Chris and grabs the brown-head for her shoulders, shrugging her - We've been comprised! We have to move Tony, now!"

"What? How? When? " She almost panics. Chris Stark never panics, she has never been. Well, a couple of times happened, but she likes to seem strong. She likes to feel strong. She never allows her façade to fall. But this… she is seriously starting to hate it. Oh, she knew what being in the big league meant, of course she did, but this… and she thought that Pete's life was hell. That is hell. In the last two damned years she dedicated herself to the cause, how many times has she been on the verge of dying? And now, today too… highlights of her week.

"We'll grab Tony, you'll think to Pepper!" Maria is on boss mode, and, for once, Chris is grateful for her "former boss of SHIELD" mannerism; the younger Stark isn't in the mood for being rational, and, frankly, she needs someone who orders her around right now, because, if having Tony in vegetative state was already bad enough, having Tony in vegetative state and a killer after them… is worst.

"Oh, yeah, I just…. I need to collect my tools, a couple of things, and…." She says as she grabs, as quick as the light, an old leather purse from the wood wardrobe and comes back in the corridor, where only Pepper is left, as the doctor, Miss Sooner and Hill are already moving Tony to the basement.

"That's stupid, you know that, right? I've never been director of SHIELD but I know that a place with just one exit, such as this basement, it's pretty good for ambushes!" Chris is telekinetically carrying Peeper's wheelchair. It's not the first time she does such – it's the first time she does it for Pepper, but for Charles… how many times did she do it for Charles, in the past?

"Your people live on an Island, Stark."

"Why do you think I left? I came here because it was strategically stupid living there!" Chris should be sarcastic, but she is serious. Maybe she is not already in control again, but this…. Analyzing the odds is helping her to get her focus back. She is going to be herself again. She feels that she is calming down.

"Well, better the basement then the stairwell. And I'm pretty sure I told you to be careful and that we're in a certain hurry!"

"We're doing our best, Miss Hill. Give us a break!" the doc shouts, as he stops, forcing the others to stop as well.

"There's an assassin coming to kill us all, I can't protect us here!"

"I… this is bad, isn't it? It's worse than escaping Madame Masque and Avengers Towers, right?" Pepper asks as Chris leaves her on the ground, close to Tony.

"I'm not exactly unarmed. People used to call my race "living weapons of mass destruction", if I'm not wrong"

"In fact – Hill clarifies as, again, puts her hands on Chris' shoulders, looking directly in Chris' pitch black eyes - you're going to stay here with them. They have to stay here, safe, and hide out. I need to go and take care of a couple of things. Unfortunately, there's not only the guy-trying-to-kill-us-all."

"Hill, do you know whom are we dealing with, exactly?" Chris doesn't have the force to repeat that gesture. She can't look at Hill's eyes. She looks at herself, at her feet. Not in this so strong woman's eyes.

"The Ghost"

"Damn… I'm not sure… - Chris starts, massaging the back of her neck – Hill, last time I met the guy, he almost killed me. Tony saved my sorry ass. I'm not sure I can handle him on my own. I'd like to take him down, since he is the main reason my life is screwed, but, as powerful as I am, even my abilities are ineffective against him and…"

"We have the woman who escaped Avengers Tower while it was full of HAMMER agents and the one who faces daily all kind of threats… - a voice of a man who's obviously grinning is heard at their back, and, as they turn, they see that, finally, Steve Rogers is back, and is with the person who, they hope, will resolve the situation – I'm sure you could protect us"

"Sir, we've been compromised. – Hill says as she looks at Rogers, not in the eyes, too ashamed of herself, like she somehow failed him, failed them - I know we left a tail a mile wide and tall, but there's an assassin after us and…"

"And whoever is after you, isn't military or they'd found you." He says as they reach them at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's the Ghost, a guy who never liked us, who can become intangible and against whom my powers are ineffective – Chris says as she shakes Strange's hand – Dr. Strange, I assume."

"Tony and Charles spoke highly of you, Christine. They have always been quite fond of you, especially Tony… he adores – he says using the present - his little sister. I'm sorry that we got to meet face-to-face in this particular situation – he smirks a little, as he answers to her – but Tony told me that you don't relate well with people, useless in near-death situations."

"Just tell me what you need to bring my brother back. - She pauses a little, looking in his eyes, sad and worried – because you can bring him back, right?"

"Tell me what happened, and bring me salt and candles."

"How do you feel… may I suggest a psychic summary?" she asks tentatively. There are things her brains remembers, that her mind isn't. That's the way she needs to do it. That's the only way she knows how to do it.

"That's fine, Christine; I used to be Xavier's best friend, you know? And while you'll tell me what happened on the astral plane and showed me everything, I'll prepare the procedure…"

"I get you have telekinetic powers, such as the ability to built a force-field of solid kinetic energy to protect you and others as well, right? - He asks her as, and the end of the "lesson" he is on his knee, Tony's body on the soil, at the centre of a sort of pentacle. – I'll be unresponsive and vulnerable as Tony once the procedure starts, and I'll need you to shield my body from the man who's following you, but once it will be over… once I'll be back… I'll have Tony with me. That's doctor's word."

"Do you want me to…. – she says, standing against the cold wall at crossed arms, shifting her weight from her feet to the other one, as she looks at Miss Sooner and the good Doctor (not Don) leaving, and focusing her attention back on Stephen who's concentrating, murmuring words as asleep, ready to ask him if he needs any kind of help, psychically or to watch his back while, as he told himself, he'll be unprotected, she'd like to know if he feels like having he force-field activated right now or just in case, or… - never mind."

"So…- Maria says, standing at Chris' side, almost the same position, Potts on the other side, breaking the uncomfortable silence – Now, what?"

"We wait. And, if you happen to believe in some higher power, - Chris says still focusing her attention to the duo on the floor, breathing heavily and at almost closed eyes- I'd suggest preying."

"Do you have this… feeling, too? That something is brewing?" she asks turning a little towards the fresh avenger.

Chris inhales again deeply, one hand in her jeans pockets and the other one through her hair (one of the two gestures she repeats when she is nervous or worried) and keeps looking at the two former Illuminati in front of her.

"Definitely" she almost whispers, just Hill hears her, Pepper can only assumes what her word has been.

"So… here we are… - Maria says uncomfortable, turning from one woman to the other one – Pepper Potts… and Chris Stark…"

"Christine. – Chris corrects the older woman – I don't like being referred to as "Stark". That's how people call my brother. I prefer Christine. Only that is just fine" the mutant brown-head isn't only correcting the surname thing, but her name too. She knows she owns Maria Hill big time, but she isn't going to let her call "Chris". Just few are allowed to call her like that: Tony and Rhodey, Clint and Bobbi, Kurt, Rachel and Logan – (Ororo has always been extremely formal, and Charles has always been as well, since she was a former "student", kind of), and now Domino (and, obviously, Wisdom- but Chris is just the first of the many names he has for her, and it's not even her favorite one.). She doesn't dislike this woman, she knows Maria is strong, psychically and physically, and, again, she knows the woman saved her brother more than once. But this whole thing… it's just uncomfortable. Maybe it's because she knows Maria didn't like her at all at the beginning, or who knows what, but she Chris can't standing Maria Hill calling her with her short name.

"So, Maria Hill… and Christine…. – Pepper says quoting Hill, but changing their names – what did you mean with "something's brewing?" is there anything I should know?"

"Don't worry about it" Maria says after a minute of silence, looking at her feet, sign that she is hiding something – and allowing Chris to feel like she could look at this woman again: looks like Maria Hill isn't such the perfect spy, after all.

"There's a solution for any kind of problem" Chris states, without a hint of smile or even looking at them, like it was more some kind of an interior monologue: truth to be told, she is worried. She knows Hill is right, something is brewing, and that's something big… and she isn't that sure that she'll be able to handle it. She is no longer sure of anything…

"I already miss it. The repulsor tech in my chest, I mean. It made me feel…it made me feel better." Pepper says out of the blue, skimming over her blouse where the piece of technology used to be.

"Yeah, well, they just took it from your chest – Hill answers her with total nonchalance, like she knew what she is talking about, stretching her arms a little while talking – I assume that getting kicked in the face feels better than you do right now."

"First: I may remember you, telling Tony you didn't want it, or was it that you wanted the thing out of your chest? - Chris says, a sarcastic laugh leaving her mouth, as she never breaks contact with Tony and Strange. – Second: you're a good person; you didn't need to have that thing to be better. You're better than most of the people I know. - She is almost serious now, a hint of a smile of her face, as she finally looks at Pepper, turning towards her, one hand on her hip and the other one gesticulating – Besides… I know it did physical thing to you, and… many people could think that's normal to miss it, but I don't. With all due respect, Potts, being a super-hero… or a super-spy… isn't as cool as it seems. I have these powers… and I have to use them, but you? Honestly, I no longer understand what's cool about this line of work. There was a time when I did, though, when I jumped into danger thinking it was funny, when I thought it couldn't get any worst, that life was good… - she says, lowering her eyes a little – I'm sorry Pepper, but I've always thought that you were the one with chances to have a normal life, or a more normal life, and…"

"I miss the company. – She states, a smile enlightening her features – I was more than just me. The thing… the thing that Tony did for me… it made me smarter, my mind moved so fast and I was smarter… and I used to think… I thought that it was how he feels all the times, you know - My mind moves as fast as his one all the time, too. Glad you remember. Chris thinks between herself, looking at Tony and Dr. Strange again – I was finally the smart one… and we still… we still slept together…"

"YOU DID WHAT?" Maria is practically shouting, her lungs are lucking oxygen, and… and her mind is a mess as well.

"Eh?" Chris turns to look at them; Maria is kneeled in front of Pepper, the black haired woman clearly in shock, wide-eyed, as Pepper is still unable to understands why she reacted that way, while Chris… Maria Hill, being jealous of her brother… it's just so… gross, and weird… and there's no freaking way! He used to hate her!

"I know, I know, me, of all the people? - Pepper says, laughing of herself –I should have known better, but… you know, we were on the run, in Russia, and… and, God, you should have seen him? He was so helpless and guileless…"

"Oh yes, sex on the run? What's better than that? I mean, why should you think about anything but that while Osborn and Madame Masque are hunting you down? - Chris sarcastically says, grinning, mostly to herself, low voice – jeez, and I thought that making out with my boyfriend while we were facing the mindless ones was bad…" Oh my, she fell for the puppy-dog eyes…

"You and Tony… Tony and you… the both of you… you…."

"Yes, we slept together, ok? Why do you…" Pepper looks at Maria, maybe for the first time, and… she looks so hurt and helpless… so confused…

"We…. – Maria says turning her back to the red head – it was before it all started. We were at that… fun-time inc. hideout of his…that creepy place… this whole insane thing of his kicked off, and before he ran, we… well, we… we…"

"Oh, and I thought that I was the only one having actual fan with someone in the hall of armors…. Bloody hell, I'll have to tell Pete that he was right, that place is a magnet for sex…" she says sarcastically again, grinning. Yeah, after all, she was definitely her brother's sister, and a Stark…

"Tony Stark!- Maria says after minutes of silence, facing Tony, her and Pepper quite uncomfortable, and mad, after the revelations about their relationships with the man - Tony "Iron Son of a bitch" Stark!"

"Our mum was quite a good person, actually. – Chris says turning towards them, shifting her weight from foot to foot, hands in her pockets – although, figuratively speaking, he may actually be a son of a bitch."

"Christine, we…I…"

"Yeah, I mean, Maria and I…." they both turns to look at her, like they'd saw her for the first time.

"Oh, please!- she waves one hand on front of her face, with nonchalance- being raised by Tony and with Tony, meant certain things, and a certain degree of… open-minded. You can't imagine how many times I walked into some random half-naked girl at home while I was a teen and I still lived with him! Well, actually, Bethany Cabe was more than just "half-naked" when I first met her… I remember it was 5 in the morning, I was thirsty, and when I walked into the kitchen to have a glass of water, I found her, completely naked, looking into the fridge for some snack… and at a certain point, Tony joined us, he was drunk and naked as the day he was born, and I completely freaked out… Tony, instead, was easier… I mean, he freaked out just because he saw Pete… Wisdom, I mean… shirtless. The man was still even wearing his jeans. Well, actually, he was again wearing his jeans and… anyway, Tony saw him in my kitchen, and he freaked out."

"In many years I've known you, I've never thought, not even for a millisecond, that you could, actually, being his sister…" Pepper smiles a little as she looks at Chris.

"You're creepy. You're creepy and weird… and…open minded? I mean, you're his sister, and you shouldn't… besides, you're a girl, this… I mean…"

"Now, you'll get why I hung out with Clint and Logan…"

"Oh, good evening! Were you talking about something interesting?" the good doctor says as he comes back in, singing some tunes, quite content and happy.

"No" Pepper and Hill say at the same time.

"Definitely" Chris replies, grinning.

"Is everything…"

"We're fine" they say again at the same time.

"I've never been better, thanks" she replies, smiling, amusing the weirdness of the situation.

"I'm going to the ladies room – Pepper states, as she turns to face the doctor who tries to help her on her wheelchair, as Chris keeps grinning and laughing under her breath – and I don't need any help!"

"And I thought that it was going to be boring, being here…"

"Ok…Ehm, so… Did I lose something or what?"

"We're all fine! - Maria shouts, almost growling, turning to face the poor, scared man. – We're fine, we are all big girls and we can take care of ourselves!"

"And I thought it was going to be so boring over here…"

"Did I miss something?" Rhodey enters from the door, iron-man pieces with him, and immediately joins the girl in front of the duo, smiling, messing her hair like she was some kind of kid- just to annoy the hell out of her. Not that Chris complains – she is quite content. She is smiling. She seems to enjoy something. She seems to enjoy life again. Like she told him just the day before, she had few horrible months, when she hadn't been exactly herself, obsessed with thoughts of hate and vengeance... and now… now, things aren't exactly back to normal, but at least…. They are normal as they could be.

"Let's say it was like looking at an episode of Grey's Anatomy… but putting Stark in place of Grey"… - she pauses, crossed arms, still grinning – apparently, they've discovered I'm my brother's sister…."

"Can't believe there's still someone who thinks you're a good girl…."

"Yeah, I know, I should get a more showy costume, don't you think? Although I'm pretty sure that I'd just need something that left my back naked… I had it completely covered with a dragon tattoo, you know? Pete's crazy about it. By the way, you haven't met him, have you?"

"I haven't had the pleasure. What about Tony and Clint?"

"What about… - she looks at him, her head somewhere cloud nine, unable for a moment to understand what he means– oh, yes, they did, and Bobbi too. Actually – She smiles happy, shining, but blushing a little – As strange as it can be, Tony trusted Pete with my life, and I mean literally."

"Heaven forbids us; Tony likes someone you're dating! – He pauses, looking at Tony and then at the brunette who shares his friend's same surname – and, do you trust him, this guy? – again, Rhodey looks at her, and Chris… as she becomes aware of his black eyes planted on her, Chris remains silent, standing still, eyes focused on Tony and Strange, blushing a little and biting her lips, and Rhodey, as he sees how she is behaving, looks astonished at her, eyes wide open – Oh God, you're in love! That's another sign of the Apocalypse!"

"That's not funny, Jimmy, not at all! - She says annoyed, crossed arms to look at him. – It's serious, Jim. We are serious. Well, at least, I am"

"How bad it is?" he asks, her, again looking at Tony, crossed arms like her, almost mimicking her position.

"A while back, I've been trapped into a dream-like reality by a duke of hell, you know? And while I was there, I saw something, and, I've never thought about it before, but… but I'm still thinking about that black haired boy with blue eyes, and to the other child who wasn't born yet…" she smiles and grins, still focused on Tony, while scratching the back of her neck.

"That's Apocalypse bad, then." He grins, both of them still focused on Tony.

"I told you, it's not…. – she stops as she hears it, a scream of terror and pain coming from the bathroom – was that…."

"Let's move!" Maria shouts, as the former director of SHIELD, the doctor and Chris run towards the source of the sound.

"Watch their backs!" Chris shouts at the former marine, as, already running, she sees him, kneeling close to his best friend.

"Pepper? – she enters in the bathroom, following Maria and the doctor, who were there one minute before her – how is she?"

"I don't feel… I don't like what I'm feeling… and… I taste my own blood…" the red head is still on the soil, trying to clean her mouth, her voice a mere whisper.

"What happened, Pepper? What did happen? Dammit, focus, focus! You have to tell me what happened, who did it?"

"Hill, calm down, you're not… - as the doctor is talking, he stops, realizing that the younger Stark is kneeling in front of Pepper and is touching sweetly her forehead, calming her down – helping her."

"It was the Ghost. He is here. The damn bastard found us." Chris says coldly, anger clearly visible in her eyes that start to shine of a red-gold light, like in fire.

"Damn… he is here for Tony…" Hill says, leaving the room.

"And we're on our own… it's just us and…." Chris, leaving the soil, standing, freezes as she heard the inhuman sound, the voice broke by pain of a man she knows and trusts with her own life , what is, in truth, just a whisper, but that she felt loud and clear.

"What… what was that? What did you do?" Maria is practically keeping her against the wall, Chris still in shock, eyes on the soil.

"I'm… I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to… - she whispers – I didn't mean to project his pain into you and…"

"You mean that what I saw was really… - Both Chris and Maria fall into trance for a few instants that look like eternity, but, eventually, driven by panic, they come back to their senses, and, running, driven by desperation and fear, leave the room, as quick as they can, in direction of what they know, what they feel is happening.

"We have to stop him before it's too late! If Jim is injured, then there's no one to watch Strange and Tony's back! - As she and Maria runs, Pepper in the arms of the doctor, Chris is almost panicking; she is resolute, that's sure, but her voice is trembling a bit, and… as they break into the room where Strange as performing his "spiritual surgery", Chris almost cries in despair, her eyes red, shining like a star, shining like fire, full of rage, full of fury, as she sends who she knew was behind all of this against a wall, keeping him there with a telekinetic blast of energy – You… you damn sick bastard son of a bitch! – Her eyes get redder and redder, as she amplifies the grasp on his throat, grinning evilly, like she was twisted, like she wasn't any longer herself, like she couldn't any longer trust herself, not with what she saw – worst mistake of ever: becoming tangible"

"Think to your brother! – Maria shouts at her back, gripping Chris for a shoulder and awakening her like from a trance, while the brunette looks in shock at her own hands and not even pay attention to the Ghost who falls on the pavement, too aware of where he was and what she was going to do with him – I'll keep him out of him. I'll watch your back, but you know what you have to do!"

"But… I don't… I'm not sure…. I can't…. what if…" she looks into Maria's eyes, the black-haired woman still gripping her for the shoulders, and Chris is in panic. Chris is, for once, scared, genuinely scared.

"You keep saying you're your own brother's sister; time to prove it – Maria looks in her eyes, not any longer angry, but a bit emphatic, trying to let her understand what she has to do and why - he might be a suit, but he has nerves of steel. You said he was coming back. You said you're the strongest telepath of the planet. You said you're his sister. Prove it. Take Doc' place and finish his work."

Trembling, without even answering to what the woman told her, Chris goes on the centre of the mystical figures where Tony stands, and, once kneeled in front of him, puts his hands on his temples, and, with her own, she touches his forehead, closed eyes, trying to not paying at Hill, at how she is royally kicking Ghost's ass. **"Nobody gets out of this alive, you get it, right? You're at a loose end that needs tying…you are just an idiot…"**

_Focus not on the here and now. Forget it. Forget everything. Nothing matter. They'll deal with him. They don't matter. Nothing matter any longer. You don't matter any longer. Focus on Tony. Find him. Help him out._ She keeps repeating as a new mantra, tightening her teeth, as drops of sweat run along her pale skin as pearls; everything is a whisper, everything is a distant sound: Tony's wondering mind, her own wondering mind, with many whispers in it, Hill's menace to the villain, his answers, and Pepper… on the phone… with… with Miss Hand, Osborn's second in command?

_Focus not on the here and now. Forget it. Forget everything. Nothing matter. They'll deal with him. They don't matter. Nothing matter any longer. You don't matter any longer. Focus on Tony. Find him. Help him out-_

"Where the hell did I end up?" Chris looks around herself, realizing she is up in the air, in a damn flying castle, a mix of Asgard, Howl's flying castle, and of some kind of city of the future, everything made with gigantic parts of The Iron Man.

"Okay… - she starts to walk along the stairs, slowly, as she was Cinderella attending the ball, and, as she does such, her clothes shift, from civil and plain to something different: looking in disbelief at herself, Chris realizes that it's not her costume she is wearing, what she was thinking about, but a short, white twenties dress, and her hair is made in the same style – Ok… Tony's somewhere here… and is obviously in control, if he can influence my mind… I wonder why the… - as she reaches the top of the stairs, she looks in horror in front of herself, her hands on her mouth to not cry; she joins them, skimming with fear on their faces, on every single face, as blood starts to run like a damn river and grimes her shoes . Oh, no, no… I know… Tony knew you…" and she does as well, not all of them, but many: Happy, Steve, Yinsen and all the others… all people dead because they were, somehow, related to Tony or the Iron Man, until the voices and the whispers get louder, and where there was once hundreds, there are now millions, millions of faces she knows and doesn't know at the same time, millions of voices she has heard but never for real, only in her mind, screaming when she was more vulnerable, when she couldn't avoid to listen to their last thoughts as they were dying there, alone, in the middle of the Ocean, in Genosha.

"My God, Tony, what's happening in your mind? – She runs and runs, terrified, and falls and falls, the blood covering herself like it was her own, thinking about how horrible this is, and how horrible could have been for Tony, since it's already hell for her, and she keeps repeating herself the same thing, over and over, still running, until she reaches a door on the top of the stairs, a metallic door like of a safe, and, between the two shutters, she takes a glimpse of… of nothing, because everything's dark as she enters frantically, like she was running for her life. – Tony…" She screams his name, as she sees the river of blood on the pavement, where Tony is, on his knee in front of… in front of Maria and Howard, standing still in front of two thrones, dressed like her.

"Tony, you're home. That's yours – Howard tells him while helping him standing, grinning, an evil smile on his face, while Chris does her best to walk in the room, blocked by something, send on the soil by an unknown force that took her by surprise – this is where you belong, who you are… that's your legacy, the Stark legacy"

_"I… I can't… I can't breathe…" _As he whispers these words, still on the soil looking into their mother's eyes, she knows what he means: the connection was too strong to be broken, even if physical contact has been, indeed, broken; it means that, whatever happened, Ghost is having the upper hand now, that Hill failed, that he just send her on the soil, thinking she was, who knows, just unconscious, _Or maybe, after last time, the jerk did his homework, and he knows that, if Tony dies while I'm here, I'll follow him…_

"Take your seat Tony!"

"Tony, Stephen told you it's just in your mind! You can fight it, if you want!"

"That's who we are, Tony – Maria says, sweetly – That's who you are!"

He turns and looks at his "sister, still on the soil, like him, but on the entrance of room, looking at him, a hand on her heart, and, in few instants, she feels it, she feels everything. She knows he doesn't know if she is real or not, if she is, being dressed like them, a fragment of this "dream" he is having, until… until he smiles, a weak smile, standing on his own, unsure, and looks at her: as she stands on her own legs, Chris looks at her clothes, noticing that her costume, the one Tony gave her when she joined the Initiative, is back in place, and that she can reach him, finally.

"That's not who we are, Tony. We're better than this, we've always been better than our "father". We choose our own path, and decided to bring peace and liberty and not death!"

"I want help" he tells her, looking lost, his voice a whisper.

"Tony, it's time to be together again… it's time to die!" Maria gets closer and closer, skimming over his short beard.

"Tony… - Chris tells him, again unable to get closer to him, as she starts to feel physical pain even in her astral form – Tony, please, listen to" Until she smiles a little, and has an idea: if he'll not listen to her, maybe he'll listen to someone else, someone like… someone like Pepper; taking her last energy, she concentrate on the outside, on that singular voice, and allows him to listen to her, to just one single word:_ Hello_.

"Who said it?"

"Tony, darling, you're sick..." his dad tells him, gentle again.

"It's too late, you can't escape"

But, they are right. It's too late, because one single word was enough to shake his world; allowing Chris to come closer, he destroys the thrones, as Maria and Howard are absorbed by the blood river.

"I choose my own path – he looks at her, a weak smile on as he takes her hand in his own– we both choose our own path. We're not like our father."

"So, now tell me, bro- she tells him, smiling widely - which way is out from Stark-mind world?"

"Nice phone." Ghost turns as he feels someone touching his shoulders, and almost jumps as he realizes that it was Chris Stark that talked, and that the Starks standing at crossed arms, one at the side of the other.

"Bet it works only with your suite, right? – Tony grins as he plays with the damn thing – you dial yourself anywhere around the world with it: ghost in, ghost out, ghost phone. – He gets closer and closer to him, this damn smile still on – 82 2 738 1059 was the number of our Seoul subsidiary. Funny the little things you remember…- as he says so, the display on the mobile phone starts to shine, and the Ghost soon disappears, "teleported" by the line. – Too bad that's not the number I did…"

"That'd be my doing – Chris says, smiling and looking at her nails like she just had a manicure, satisfied of her – I psychically dialed the 0044 020 8874 1370. These new powers over technology are simply great, don't you think?"

"That's' a number of… London?" he says, as he destroys the "phone" with his fist, closing it around the object as hard as he can.

"Yeah, well, I thought that I could be funny, an HAMMER agent breaking inside the headquarter of the most secret agency of the United Kingdom through their encoded phone-lines…- she again looks at her nails – it looks like he'll soon have few issues with his suit, though, some kind of encoded sub-routine… he'll be unable to become intangible for a long time, once he'll appear… those new powers of mine are really, really awesome…"

"You know Chris, I don't know what's more interesting, that you are here, that you have more super-powers, or that you know the number of the British Intelligence - he smiles until he turns and looks around himself for the very first time, realizing that Pepper is wearing a hospital gown, that Rhodey is on the soil, unconscious, Strange is bleeding, while Maria and Chris are obviously hurt – what the hell happened to you guys?"

_Epilogue: Sooner Hotel, 24 hours later…_

"So, you are back in my life…- Tony's sitting on his bed, looking in the void, but wishing to be able to concentrate on his sister, his voice a bit unsure, while Chris stands in front of him, on a chair, looking everywhere but at him, focused, primary, on her hands. - and you have superpowers."

"In my defense, Tony, well, I'm not sure…"

"No, no, it's all right, really – he massages the back of his neck as he cuts her off short, looking at the window and then back at her, trying to find Chris' eyes – So, your mutant power is… controlling technology?"

"My primary mutant powers are telepathically and telekinesis, but, yes, I have that power as well, in a certain sense… It's my secondary mutation…"

"Never heard of it"

"A secondary mutation is a mutation that appears in adulthood, normally triggered by a traumatic event. Mine was triggered by the exposition to massive psychic energy in Genosha. – She pauses a bit, looking at the ceiling – Anyway, my mind… I control the 75% of my brain, given or taken; and it seems that few of those areas of the human brain I can access may control technology, if used in the right way."

"The others, what can they do?" he asks her, interested, raised eyebrows, and she really liked to know what her point is.

"Well, the others, I use them for analysis and for storage. I'm like a supercomputer and a human USB key with almost infinite space, you know?"

"Can you transmit the data to another mind using your telepathy?"

"Yes, well, sure I can…"

"Show me- he begs her, cutting her short again – I need to know… and I need to remember."

"It will not be the same thing, Tony. I didn't posses all your memories. Besides - she says, getting closer to him, his hands in her ones – they'll be clouded by my judgment and my feelings"

"Do it." She doesn't reply: as he says so, they both closes their eyes, and Chris sits at his side, at touch his forehead with her one; it's the silence for her, everything leaving her conscience, and it's a mess for him, feeling everything at once like never before; it lasts just few seconds, at least, on the physical plane, but it's like years on the astral plane. As she leaves her spot on his bed, she gives her brother a kiss on the forehead, looking at the tears escaping his blue eyes, and she abandons the room, going to give a quick glance to Rhodey.

"Going somewhere? - Still on the threshold of the room of Jim Rhodes, Chris, hands in her pockets, dressed in her typical leather appeal, turns to look at Captain America, and faces him, still standing against the wall, as he ends the sentence - How's your brother?"

"I'd like to know that – Chris says, looking at her feet, scratching the back of her neck, not knowing how she is supposed to call him, or how she could explain it. – Steve… Captain… Sir… we may have a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"He works until he passes away, sleeps like a dead and gets up quicker than the doctor can take his pulse- She explains – if he was a computer, he'd be 100% operative. Every time we spoke he was fine, but…"

"But, what?" he asks her, wide-eyes, as she still looks at her feet.

"It's my fault, in part, I should have considered this possibility, but I thought that his mind was stronger than this, and could repay the broken connection… Xavier's one was able to, after all…" She explains him, looking finally in his eyes.

"Christine, what are you trying to tell me?" As she looks at her feet, he takes her for her shoulders, forcing Chris to look into his blue eyes, calling her with her name.

"When Tony used the Extremis on himself, he created a back-up version of his mind; since he was always connected to his amour, I implanted in it a sub-routine that kept updating it and told me about his whereabouts."

"You already told us that - he raises his eyebrows as she finally looks at him freely. – and you told us that he didn't know of the sub-routine program, right?"

"Yeah, well, I'm good in my field, you know? And sometimes I can get a little overprotective. Besides, I've become a bit obsessed in checking on him, to not allow him to do the same mistakes again and… well, the version we used? It wasn't my one, but something he come up with.- realizing she went in motor-mouth mode, Chris closes her mouth for a while, biting her lips and massaging the back of her neck – Only, his one wasn't updated… it seems he did it before Extremis and never bothered to updated it, so… – She pauses, taking a big breath, while looking as guilty as a kid just found while taking candies from the box in the kitchen – Long story short, the version we used? It was old. Like, iron Man 1.9"

"You mean that…"

"Everything that happened after he decided to use Extremis is like it never happened. – She pauses – My return in his life, the war… your death… the invasion… Osborn in charge… my new powers… he doesn't remember any of it… not as they happened, at least. It seems that, while I was in his mind, we made contact, and residuals of my conscience may have gotten to him; he talked about a couple of things, but it really looked like my point of view, instead of his own." She'd like to tell the truth, but, how can she tells him what she did, since she feels guilty for it? How can she explain that she didn't use her brother as a puppet? How can she tell Captain America that she is better than Xavier? Lying, even if is not good, seems the only option.

"So… what he is doing right now?"

"He is reading, trying to get back in touch with his memory. - She shows him the room where Tony is, where the small light of a pc can be seen from the outside. – The damn place just has a normal internet connection, I wasn't even aware that those kinds of modem still existed, but it took me just few minutes to fix it; apparently, Rhodey was right when he said Chris could build a weapon of mass destruction with just a mixer…"

"And you let him?" he shouts.

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for man with blue eyes – she explains, smiling a little, regretting the words as soon as she looks into his blue eyes – not that I mean that… it's not everyone that… what I meant was… Anyway, this way, he'll have the data, but not the memory, and not the feelings. There's another version of the beak-up and I could update his mind with it, but doing this thing again right now could prove to be too dangerous for him… - she pauses – besides, the human mind is as powerful as nothing else, and there's a high chance it will repair itself on his own, but I'll still go to take it back; I'm pretty sure I could work something out, a way to download it into my mind first and transfer the data into his mind with my telepathy, or something in this line."

"So, that's why you are already dressed like to go into mission, because you're leaving?"

She turns, and looks in direction of Tony's room once again, hands in her pockets.

"Not exactly, right now I feel like having other priorities than the X-Men…"

"Meaning?" he asks her lifting his eyebrows quizzically, but with something that seems a grin.

"Let's tech Osborn a lesson he'll never forget…"

* * *

**an: **As you noticed, I'ce changed a bit the finale of the issue, 'cause I really didn't like how it ended- just making someone forget about his mistakes pretending they indeed din't happen is wrong, in my mind, besides, in the Avengers series Tony did regret his choices, so I thought about putting things this way. He is still a stuoid jerk because he didn't beckup his mind, but at least there's his sis, doing all the work for him, well, not all, but a aprt of it.

**next: **Heroes gather together, no more sides, no more differences. the objective is one and one only: defeating the new enemy of the country number one, Osborn, in the day he attacks Asgard.

Heroes will fall, heroes will rise. heroes will die, and nothing will be the same after the siege of Asgard!


	39. Avengers: Siege of Asgard part 1

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:Siege**

* * *

_Previosuly on Blackdragon: _

"So, that's why you are already dressed like to go into mission, because you're leaving?"

She turns, and looks in direction of Tony's room once again, hands in her pockets.

"Not exactly, right now I feel like having other priorities than the X-Men…"

"Meaning?" he asks her lifting his eyebrows quizzically, but with something that seems a grin.

"Let's tech Osborn a lesson he'll never forget…"

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #37- Siege (part one)**

_Broxton, Oklahoma, the room currently occupied by Tony Stark _

_So, how's my brother doing today, doc?_

The blonde medical doctor called Donald Blake, mortal "host body" of the mighty god of Thunder, looks for a while around himself, in search of the voice he has already heard and is now able to recognize – the voice of the woman known as Christine Antoinette Stark, sister to Tony, one of the men he was glad to call a friend, one of the few men Thor was glad to call a friend… and he remembers. He remembers many things: he remembers that she isn't with them, because the action, because her duty, the duty to her people, has called her. And he remembers who, but, mostly, what, she is: a mutant, an omega level mutant, a psyonic mutant… a telepath.

He closes his eyes, grinning a little, a gentle smile on his lips. He likes this girl, there's something in her… she is not what she seems, what she wants to let the others believe she is; she does her best to look like a SOB, like a though girl, like she is someone who doesn't give a damn about the rest of the world, but she is so full of love and passion… there's a part of him that thinks that, no doubt, there's no one that loves this world like her.

_Still not used to psyonic conversations? And here I thought it was the way the two of you communicate! _On the astral plane, everything looks like is in reality, he can't say if he is in a real place, or she is doing it, or if she is allowing him to recreate this place as he whishes: he knows she is powerful, but he feels she still has to reach her full potential… and there's something that goes beyond that, beyond his knowledge, beyond the knowledge of them all, something that could go even beyond the knowledge of the brown-haired scientist… it's not a fact, but… a feeling, and not something he felt, but something that was felt from his other half… and he wonders who she really is, and if she knows it and is keeping it secret and if yes, why? 

_"He is getting stronger. His vitals are still weak, but he is improving. -_He smiles gently, while looking at her; Chris is sitting on the side of her brother, hands on her knees, almost closed in a fist, like she would beat herself. – _Where are you now?"_

Bad move, he knows he did a bad moves the moment he sees her – her mental expression can't tell a lie. _I should be there. I should look after him. I should have stayed and not…but…_

_"You have duties… - _he pauses – _your duty is to protect the world, and to protect your people. Tony knows it, it's because he loves you so much, even if you don't share the same blood. It's the reason because he respects you so much, what makes him so proud, and what gave him the strength to fight to come back."_

_And here I thought it was because he is as stubborn as hell… _her chin resting on the palm of her right, she smiles a bit, an unsure smile, of course, but that's already something… _Take care of my big brother, will you?_

_"Hate to repeat myself, but, where exactly is the place where your body is?"_

She leaves the chair, and walks in direction of the door, a false door, of course, but the same as in reality, and he sees her, a girl who would like to be younger – and normal - because she may be physical young, but her mind, her soul, her very spirit is old: old forget-me not tennis shoes, low-cut jeans and a simple t-shirt, not even black, but white, with red stars and the writing, cursive, "I don't like cities, but I love NY"

_I'm on the move _He is still thinking about her words, when he hears Maria Hill's voice that brings him back in the real, physical world…

"Doc, you might want to see this…."

_New York, one of the Avengers' hide-out…_

"Please, tell me what I saw wasn't for real! - As she enters, running, dressed ALMOST as Don Blake saw her, but with a bit more of black, Chris looks around herself, and she doesn't need a word to knows that what she saw is happening for real – Did you see it? Osborn is attacking Asgard!" She stays close to Clint and Bobbi, eyes lost, but with a small light inside their darkness… she knows it is wrong, being happy about it, but she can't help but think about that the moment everyone told her about has finally come…

She'd like to say more, but can't end the sentence, that a voice at her right, the male voice of one of the others presents, says 4 words, in front of this brunette, who's looking in the only left eye of this man trying to get a reason why he should be so interested in her.

"Santora killo Jane nuggets"

Still at crossed arms, she gives him a quizzically look. "I know I am a genius, but… Am I supposed to get it?"

"That's the universal kill-switch for the life Model Decoys – he pauses, scaring her a bit with his expression: has she already been looked at this way? No, never – you have connections with the mutant community, the F4, the Avengers, the intelligence community. You possess an incredible knowledge, a knowledge few would die for. You're a target"

"She is not an alien" Jessica says, out of the blue.

"You checked if I was really myself? – She asks, an expression horrified, unable to believe what they just said - I thought my boyfriend was paranoid, but, Jesus, there's no paragon…"

"Ehy, I thought we were dating! Wasn't the guy supposed to be your ex?"

"Didn't you ask me out, like, an hour ago?" Jess says, smirking a little at Pete, thinking that he is, indeed, the oddest man she has ever met in her entire life; meanwhile, Chris shivers with fear, as she looks a last time, keeps looking, in Nick Fury's eye, and then turns to look at Clint and Captain America "Wait a sec, is that HIM?"

"Yeah, Cage went to the living Legends Store and he was everything they had…" Clint smiles evilly and sarcastic, trying to make fun of her, to lower the tension. He is betting that, "People, be ready – the blonde former archer says as he oversees Chris looking in disbelief at the screens, knowing too well what the expression she is making means, and starts counting on the fingers of one of his hands. - she'll panic in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

"HOW THE HELL DID HE MANAGED TO PUT DOWN THOR?"

"Told you so…" Clint smirks as she shouts while she looks at the screens, getting closer like it could change the reality of the situation, because, if Osborn attacking Asgard was bad, Osborn attacking Asgard and defeating Thor was, in a scale of bad from 0 to 10, at least 100.

"you are a telepath" Nick says, taking her for a wrist, her right one, the silver bracelet made at image of the one of her mother hard on her soft, pale skin as he forces her to turn and look into his eye. It's weird; the second time she worked with Pete, she was "helping" the team of X-Force he decided to train, and, at the time, he had, indeed, an eye-patch, but, knowing it was fake, she wasn't scared by how, through his only left eye, he looked at her (already like a predator, though, like he did when she returned to Excalibur, like he did while they both were in MI 13, like he still does every time he sees her)but, how Fury is looking at her… it's not exactly fear. It's a feeling it's hard to express. She, simply, has to obey, it's like he could channel through his look what he wishes, what he wants, and could forces the others to obey him, even trust him at some level.

"Yes, of course I…"

"It wasn't a question, it was an affirmation. I know who you are: knowing things is my work. – He pauses, and looks to the Avengers, to their Leaders, at James and Steve and Clint as well – You calm down, you do your thing, you assemble all the available heroes."

"So, do I have to… - she turns to look at Rogers, crossed arms, scratching a bit the tissue of her arms, extremely nervous like every damn time she works with big guns like them, and she is, indeed, an Avenger, for God's sake! – what's the drill?"

"Avengers Assemble" he simply answers her, a smile that is not for happiness, but because it's a foretaste of victory.

_Avengers Hide-out, Brooklyn, less than 2 hours later_

"That's it, isn't it?" Leaning against the bookshelves of what was one of Steve Rogers' places, standing between Carol and Like Cage, Christine looks at the flat TV screen, her right hand on her left hip and her left in the air, gesticulating.

"That's it, what?" Jessica Cage asks her, looking at how full of hope, despite what's going on, this young woman is: she is not getting it, she is so… she doesn't understand where his woman is going – nor too weird, since said woman is a genius and the only person who seemed to keep up with her was her own brother.

"The moment in which Osborn oversteps, falls on his tushy and everyone sees him for the maniac he is, the moment in which his canvas, the largest canvas he has ever had is falling apart, the moment in which he fails and confesses his crimes and/or his plans during a fight, live on TV, the moment he loses the war, fall and we go drinking champagne and dancing on his gravestone… figuratively speaking, of course." She looks at Jess, still the same position, one hand on her hip, the other one gesticulating in the air, and she talks… not like she is calm, because that's too much even for the man, but because, at least, now she knows that everything they went through, everything that went on in their lives in the last year happened for a reason- and she is, indeed, trying to sound calm, or, at least, still a bit rational.

"You see? I told you the very same things – Pete says turning to Jessica/Spider Woman – and you say I'm odd! She, the almighty and know-it-all billionaire says it, and it's normal! It's unfair! It is sexual discrimination and…"

"I know I've been gone for a while, but now that I'm back – Rogers starts, looking into their eyes, the eyes of the Avengers, the eyes of the Young Avengers, the eyes of the Secret warriors, like he could really do it at the same time – I see that you're with me, I see that, as I do, you can't stand what I see, that you don't care who put this madman in charge, you don't care how he did it to get there. As I do, you just see a madman leading his troops into battle without a real reason. – he lowers his eyes, and then comes back to look at them – I know what we did in the past, what happened: not everyone sees eyes to eye, and we went so far to fight each other…"

As he says so, stopping for a while, taking a deep breath, Chris shivers, and feels their eyes on them, the eyes of the "renegade Avengers",- Luke Cage first: he never liked her, and she knows it, not in the past, at least - the eyes of the ones who, during the war against The Hulk, didn't feel like fighting at her side, the side of Tony Stark's sister, the side of a Registered Hero, the side of a followers of the SHRA.

"But if you answered to our call, if you come here tonight, if you choose to stand up and be counted… it's because it doesn't matter anymore, it's because you agree with me, _with us_, that it is time to take back our country… - he pauses again, for dramatic affect – our friends and allies are being attacked and killed… we're going to do something about it… and we're going to do it together!"

"And we're going to do it in the right way – the man once known as Bucky says, removing the mask from his Captain America Uniform and giving to Rogers, still without mask but already in his old Captain America costume, what he is supposed to have since day one of his comeback – let's skip the argument: You take it; if we go in, we have to go in, but in the right way."

"But…"

"Steve… Cap… you need to do this. You want to take the country back? You don't need just the uniform, but the shield too… the world needs Captain America, the real one, the first one, the best one."

"That's so touchy, but, may I ask you how we are supposed to go there? I know we have a resident magician, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit too much for him – Patriot says indicating with a thumb his friend Wiccan – otherwise, isn't going to take us hours to get there? We don't even know if Oklahoma will still be there when we'll actually get there and…"

As he says so, with an evil smirk Nick shows them a hologram in 3-D but in scale of something that looks terribly like a jet, but military in style and design. "That, kids, is a SHIELD military heli-transport"

"And you have it because…." Pete says as he looks astonished at the thing, while Chris examines it at brief distance.

"I forgot to give it back"

"But I thought that all old things SHIELD were Stark tech designed, and Stark Tech went to hell with the Skrulls and…"

"The Queen used to say Rock never dies; I say, Chris/tech technology never dies- she turns to look at Fury- So, that's what happened to my baby girl… I suppose it wasn't the bad project everybody kept saying it was, right?"

"It's everything a SHIELD transport should be, Stark." He smiles a little, more to make the girl happy – God only know when he'll need help from her again.

"I'm flattered; someone's finally admitting my geniality and that I posses a superior intellect" She smirks, hands on her hips, standing and looking at the hologram smiling as proud as a parent.

"And, what does it mean? – Pete looks at her, crossed arms, his usual half-serious tone on – and I'm not talking about the fact that someone here whom I'm not naming is so full of herself that not only named a technology after her surname, but another one after her first name."

"Rhodey's armor is Chris/tech, and I've never heard someone complaining about it - Still in front of the hologram, Chris stands, looking at her team-mate, counting the words she says on her fingers. – Anyway, it means: clocking, force-fields, stealth-mode, chameleonic, connection to every single databank in the universe, a computer better than the one I had at my place, and, last but not least, what will bring us there…"

"Ehm, I guess it's the engine, right?"

"Do you seriously think that someone like me, who won a noble when she was 18 years old, could work on something that simple like a banal engine? You hurt my feelings! – she says, a hand on her heart, an expression of false hurt on her face, that soon turns into a proud smile, a smile of false modesty – A while ago, I was in vacancy, and I was a bit bored, so I started to work on this little thing… I turned the auto-replicating SHI'AR star-gate system into something that could be used for planetary transport, too. ETA from here is 3 minutes since my baby girl is in the air."

"So, we assume we are going in and win it? Because she has a case and I'm pretty sure that…"

"Wait a… - Steve looks at object in question, astonished, almost speechless – is that what I think it is?"

"Jarvis brought a little something Tony made a long, long time ago – Chris says touching with her heeled right foot the metallic surface, almost skimming over it, hands in her pockets, her voice unsure and low – he is there and… it's just in case. This is not only about Thor and Asgard. My brother, my only family, is there, and if he'll need my help…"

"If he'll need help, we'll help you, and we'll help him, Chris. – Cap puts a hand on her right shoulder and, as she hers her name, the name her friends call her by, as she hears the living legend, the real living legend, the man who died becoming a saint, calling her simply Chris like they'd been friends for years… it's weird, it's strange, and it's good, she is important and accepted and loved and cared for, and it feels simply so right… - Now, Avengers… let's get going!"

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**next: **Heroes gather together, no more sides, no more differences. the objective is one and one only: defeating the new enemy of the country number one, Osborn, in the day he attacks Asgard.

Heroes will fall, heroes will rise. heroes will die, and nothing will be the same after the siege of Asgard!


	40. Avengers: Siege of Asgard part 2

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:Siege**

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**BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #38- Siege (part two)**

38. SIEGE – PART TWO

_Broxton, Oklahoma_

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Please, please, please, stop shooting at me!"

"Hill, what the hell is wrong with you! You almost get me killed! – as the white-head boy lets go of her, a screaming and furious Chris (the costume from her Initiative days on) falls on the cold pavement of the small hotel room, Hill's gun still smoking, the bullets stopped only by her kinetic shield – and you – she turns to point her index at the scared teen – you do that to me again, and you're as good as dead, you got it?"

"But… Captain America said it'd be quicker and…"

"and that's what is saving you, _son – _Chris says angrily, pointing a finger at him, as she walks in direction of Hill, the case in her hands – do that again without me acknowledging it, and you're as good as dead, you got it, Speed?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Stark? The battle isn't here! You should be out there helping Thor!" Maria is screaming in her face, mad, angry, and jumping on her.

"There's plenty of others helping Thor out there, Hill – she says as she walks in direction of where her brother is resting, her tone as cold and cynic as often (one could actually say that she is, indeed, cynic, but that's just her exterior), as she knees to be eye-level with Tony, putting on a pair of cyber-sunglasses and holding one to Maria - before to come back into battle, there's something we both need to do. Yours are ready to transmit to a couple of friends I had in Washington back when we were army dealers or respectable citizens with no criminal record."

"Every time a Stark asks me for help, bad things happen- she says, crossed arms, looking at her and not acknowledging the teen in the room, almost talking to herself, hitting the button close to the right lens – And, may I ask what I'm supposed to say to The Pentagon?"

"Yeah, well – she says opening the case – I need you to tell them that we are all here. Captain America and Nick Fury gathered everyone here to take Normie dear down. The Old Avengers, Nick's team, we're all here, and the heroes in training – she turns to look at the youngster – the Young Avengers are here as well. I need you to tell them that they lost control on him. They told him to let Asgard stay, and he invaded it, instead. You have to tell them that he has his Avengers, Camp Hammer and he has decided to recruits Parker Robbins, better known as the gangster Hood, as well, with all his criminal friends. And you have to tell them that…"

"He has almost no control over The Sentry." Maria says going closer to the family, serious, ending Chris' sentence.

"I've never liked him. Tony though he could help him, but he is just a crazy junkie, always has and always will; and the fact that Emma dear known that isn't exactly helping… - She pauses and runs a hand through Tony's dark hair – Ehy, bro, Jarvis send a little something.."

"Ehy, Maria, over protective much? – he smiles at the woman at his side, almost whispering, his body still entirely covered by bondages, and then turns to his sister, the flirty smile replaced by a tender one – let's see what you bran me…"

_Later_

**"What did she tell them?"**

_It's not only what she told them -_Chris tells him telepathically thorough her technologic comm.-link as they fly at super-speed in direction of Asgard, a conversation that should last minutes lasting only seconds thanks to her powers, updating him on the whereabouts of the battle as she did weeks before on the events occurred after the last update of the hard-drive – _it's what happening, and how they are answering to it. Osborn invaded Asgard even if the President ordered him not to. It means that he is an enemy of the state, him and his whole army – treason. He has declared war on Asgard, sure, but doing so, he declared war to the USA AS WELL. Isn't it divine?_

**"You're happy"**

_If anything like that happens, they should call in the Avengers, but right now their Avengers are the enemy. And even if they are mobilizing every troop they have… - and don't forget is happening live on every channel in the world!_

**"We're their only hope – **He pauses, and Chris knows that, under the mask, he is smiling and grinning – **looks like we're heroes again."**

_The president's words: I'm not endangering the lives of the heroes who are standing up for us; we'll leave the ground battle to Captain America. What we can do, is take down HAMMER._

**"Didn't know you have bugs into the White House…"**

_I'm connected to Fury's ones. The man has still eyes and hears everywhere. _– She closes her eyes a little, to better concentrate, serious – _Speaking of which… he took down the helicarrier, just now. And… _- she smiles a little – _it looks like Hand just understood what a bastard the man is, and that he is just a psycho like his "Avengers"._

**[[You're under arrest! You're all under arrest! I'll fry you for treason and….! - **As they finally get closer to battle, they see Osborn trying to hit with an energy blast Steve, Steve reflecting it with the Shield, Osborn reflecting it as well and hitting Carol in the process - and that's when the blonde avenger gets really mad, and starts hitting Osborn with his bare hands (Chris remembers the footage of the times the Red Skull received a similar treatment by the Panther – she looked at it when she was depressed, it made the world looks like a nice place, after all) – **shields!]]**

**_Interface corruption detected – database corruption detected. Power cell corruption detected. All systems down._**

**[[what the….]] **He looks at his arm, like the small screen could give him an answer, but all he sees is fog, and every order he gives, is not answered.

**"That would be us, Norman – **pride is clearly audible in his voice, as Tony appears in one of his old armor, Chris at his side, standing on the ruins of the city o the Gods at crossed arms, the both of them – **you know the whole "he giveth and he taketh away" speech?"**

**[[No.. No, it can't be… that armor you're wearing…]]**

"**It's not the armor I'm wearing. I'll give you credit for that, you're good. But there's something you haven't considered. My sister's power is to control technology. Literally." **he says coming closer, grinning and laughing under his breath as he approaches the man kneeling on the soil, the armor too heavy for his human body.

"And so, every damn time I've been close to you, my mind has done few thinks, installed sub-routines, shadow-programs, bugs. – she looks at him triumphant, like he did when he trapped her, when he thought he was going to let her die in a cell – All things that are allowing us to shut down the armor you stole from my brother in…."

**"3, 2, 1… - SYSTEM FAILURE – Anything you want to say before Captain America pulls off your head?"**

**[[I'm not going to let you win! **– he screams, on his knees, the power of the armor gone for good, his voice still metallic because of the helmet, looking at the Sky, where the Sentry is fighting Thor – **Bob, bring it all down! Don't let them win!]]**

She puts a hand on her mouth, shocked, full of hate for this man, and suddenly Osborn panics – something that Cap and the others don't give a damn about.

"Osborn – he says – you're under arrest." He gets closer and closer, ready to take the helmet off from his hand, to arrest him as Osborn and not The Iron Patriot – a shame for Cap, for his "sidekick" Patriot and for Tony, when Chris goes in front of him.

"Sir, we'd like to do this, it's quite personal, family business. – she pauses for a while, not so sure of herself any longer, biting her lips – This man send a team of Thunderbolts, who almost killed me, to kidnap me. He tried to kill me while I was trying to save humankind AND him as well. He let me starving for food and water for a whole damn week, and was thinking about giving me to The Dark Beast so that he could torture me. And it's just about me."

"He is all yours"

"Glad to oblige" she says, smiling a bit evilly, as she gets in front of him and puts her right on his chest, her eyes shining of red and gold like in fire, as a light leaves said hand as well, channelling a power known only to her kind through the metallic body, making it to decompose, the opposite of what Tony did, revealing a violet spandex suite under it.

"Oh, man… - Carol gets closer and remains at open mouth, as everybody else as well. – I knew he was going to screw up, but I didn't know…"

"That's… what the hell did he do with his face?"

"I'd say I've finally outsmarted you, but I'm not exactly in the mood, you know?" the boy he briefly dated say, coming closer as they all look at the man with the green, monster-like face.

"You don't know what you've done! You think you did something here? You don't know what you've done!" he screams in her face.

"What is he…. - she falls on her knees, looking at the sky and in front of her, her eyes like lost, like she was catatonic. She feels is…she feels him. She met his other self in his mind, when she and Emma went there to try to save him. They thought they did. They thought he was just lost, succumb to Osborn. They were wrong. There's something in him… and she is hearing it right now, as he flies at super-speed across the whole city, sending everything in pieces, destroying entirely the once beautiful place, the house of the Gods of the north - NoNononononononononono…"

"Shout up, will you?" Pete screams as he sends him on the soil.

"I was the only one who could control him, me the only one…"

"Tell me about my brother, Osborn. Where's Loki in this madness?"

"He is dead. You're dead. We're all dead. He is going to kill us all. I was the only one who could control him. I was the only one who knew what he really was, how powerful he was. I was saving you all! You don't know what you've done! I was saving you!"

"No….- As she looks up, on reflex, Chris' psychic force-field protects as many of them as possible, as, in mere seconds, Asgard falls on them, with Sentry at the centre of the madness, the shadow of what he was supposed to be, looking like a cancer of energy, exposing with all his power, the power of 1.000.000 exploding suns. – I... protected as many of us as I could..." she ménages to finally say, even if her words are broken, and she is standing on her knees, close to collapsing on the soil, blood leaving her nose, her eyes, and her ears as well, sign that, whatever is going on, it's not good, and she feels life abandoning her, until her energy, suddenly, comes back, and she stands, taking her place in the battle alongside her family and her friends.

"My God, even from here, I can feel his darkness... it's so powerful, that Robert can't even fight it...- terrified, she looks at the scene in front of her, Sentry, Void or whatever it is killing Loki, God of mischief, removing their powers and their energy in few instants, making themselves no longer a treat.

"He really doesn't know what to do. I've never felt someone that scared before - still on her knees, still bloody, Chris doesn't even bother to turn to look at Steve Roger's, who's trying to make Osborn talk – he really did just sympathize. He thought it was the only way to... to have him on his side, to avoid him to destroy the world... and... Tony knows what to do..."

As her eyes shine red, she thinks that she can't allow her brother to kill himself, she things that he'll be needed if this will not work out as he plans, she thinks he has always been a better hero of her, that, even surviving him for centuries, she could never be a better hero, hell, maybe she could even not be as good as him.

_Miss Hand, I'm taking control of your ship right now. In 10 seconds time, I'll guide you and your men outside, and then I'll use turn it into a bullet._

She feels the warmth of the explosion; she feels noises and then silence, she feels silence inside and out, for the first time in a long time, and she isn't sure she likes it that much. And then, the voices, she hears them again, far, far away, and she'd like them to stay away from her, because she is at peace, finally.

"Everyone's ok? Who's missing?"

"We got one of them! It's one of the heroes! Stay with us, stay conscious!"

As arms take her out of her refuge, Chris doesn't answer. With a smile on her lips, in a state of grace for probably the first and only one time in her life, she closes her eyes and embraces the cold that's waiting for her, happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel... and to hear the familiar voice calling her from the opposite side.

**_So much to do, so much to do, my little girl... all you have to do, is take it easy. Just take it easy..._**

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**next: **The Siege has come. Asgard has fallen, enemiesa have sacrified tehmselves... and while the world celebrates the return of the real Avengers, the real heroes gather to celebrate the life and death if their fallen friends. and for someone, there will be no coming back from this one.


	41. Blackdragon: Siege part3 Origins & Omens

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert:Siege, new avengers finale, for, like, one scene, and few older things, that aren't actually spoiler since they are old, so old, way old...- from demon in the bottle, to the post onslaught x-men, to the X-force run featuring Pete Wisdom as team leader of sort, to the thunderbolts time of Hawkeye as team leader, Avengers dissasembled, to e is for extintion...**

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**_BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #39- EPILOGUE OF SIEGE-ORIGINS AND OMENS_**

_She feels the warmth of the explosion; she feels noises and then silence, she feels silence inside and out, for the first time in a long time, and she isn't sure she likes it that much. And then, the voices, she hears them again, far, far away, and she'd like them to stay away from her, because she is at peace, finally._

_"Everyone's ok? Who's missing?"_

_"We got one of them! It's one of the heroes! Stay with us, stay conscious!"_

_As arms take her out of her refuge, Chris doesn't answer. With a smile on her lips, in a state of grace for probably the first and only one time in her life, she closes her eyes and embraces the cold that's waiting for her, happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel... and to hear the familiar voice calling her from the opposite side._

**_So much to do, so much to do, my little girl... all you have to do, is take it easy. Just take it easy..._ **39. SIEGE-EPILOGUE: ORIGINS & OMENS

_Broxton, after the Siege of Asgard, a military medical facility_

"Tony, listen, we seriously need to discuss this. I need to…- Don tries to talk with him, standing against the wall of the medical structure where Christine Antoinette Stark, codenamed Blackdragon, is held, in comatose state, after the battle with Osborn and Sentry left her almost dead; hands on his forehead, Tony is drawing circles on the pavement while walking - Tony, you are her next of kin, and, as her doctor, I have to tell you everything so that you could make up your mind"

The black haired man keeps looking at him like he didn't know his friend, like he couldn't understand, or, maybe, like he was talking a foreign language; Tony appreciates both Thor and Don's effort, and knows that Asgard right now needs the God of Thunder as never before, but a part of him is happy that Thor "allowed" Don to come back to him in his hour of need, and, thinking about it twice, he can't help but feeling guilty at this mere thought.

"No, Don, listen to me. – Tony stops, looking at his friend facing him – She didn't turn off the machines that were keeping me alive" his voice is weak, and shadows and circles are under his once bright eyes.

"Tony, just projecting the force field, she already suffered a major brain injury, and even if Loki's spell gave her a bit of energy back, it was only temporary. – Don says looking at the ceiling, since it's the 100th time that he repeats it in less than 10 hours – In order to take control of the helicarrier, she had to shout all her other powers down, which left her unable to shield her body. She has a sub Doral hematoma. Her lugs collapsed. Her heart stopped. Almost all her bones are broken. There was internal bleeding – there still is. She isn't living, Tony. – He turns back to Tony, as serious as never before – Christine is barely surviving. And, if she is in such a state few hours after she suffered her injuries, you can imagine how she'll look like in few days time… if she'll survive that long, which I doubt"

"She is a fighter" Tony says in a whisper, his eyes lost.

"But she is losing the battle, and you should…"

"But Doc stabilized her! Doc said – he says taking him for his shoulders – you said she had to go through surgery and…"

"Tony, listen – he says making the same gesture – she is too weak to have surgery, but she can't get better without surgery as well, and we can't move her without killing her in the process – he pauses, looking at Tony's eyes, full of tears as he realized the inevitable was happening – She is leaving us, and there's nothing we can do about it. You should call them – he pauses again, explain what he is talking about – you should call her family, her friends, and allow them to say goodbye, and you should see if calling a priest or someone else, maybe she wanted to…"

"I've never asked her. We never talked about it" again, his voice is a whisper, and again his eyes are lost.

"Tony, I'm talking both as friend and as a doctor. In few days time, if she'll be lucky, she'll die machines or no machines. You should all be at her side, celebrating the beautiful creature she was, and not…"

"Not the empty shell she is becoming – he pauses – Alec's family is gone and they didn't have any children. And her friends… we've been distant for so long… but…. I think she and Clint were friends, and, I don't know, few members of the X-Men… She…liked Carol, too, you know? And Jim always enjoyed her company. He uses to tell she is the smart one... and... Did you know she was Reed's assistant? She wrote few essays while she was studying under him, and… he liked how her mind worked, always had…oh Lord… She told me she had a boyfriend… how am I supposed to tell to a man who's in love with her that she is dying? How can I tell this to a man I don't even remember I know? She… she has always wanted to just have a family and…" as Don holds him, he collapses into tears, something he hasn't done in a long time.

"Tell them to come here. It's time to say goodbye."

_24 hours later_

"Chris, Don says….. – He covers his face with his hands, like it could help to fight back the tears – I don't want to say goodbye to you. I don't want to ask for your pardon to a comatose body. Please, sis, don't force me to…."

**_Fight._**

_A week after his comeback from Afghanistan, she knew. The world was already talking about Iron Man, and she wasn't stupid. Maybe she was only a teen-ager, but she was, still, an extremely smart and talented teen-ager, and Tony, how could he not know it? He had spent years talking about that damn eso-skeleton, armor or whatever it was – and she had been to every single conference he had. Sure, Tony stark talks about an armor he is developing, he is taken hostage for days and to free him is a guy in armor, who appears in America as soon as her brother is back. Or she was really super-smart, or the world was super-stupid… What it hurts is that he isn't talking with her about this- it hurts, but she respects it, now – Because Tony is her older brother, her big brother, and he'll eventually talk to her, he is just waiting for the right time._

_It's almost two o'clock – at night- when he comes back; she is sitting on a sofa, and faces him at crossed arms as he enters – a blonde is with him, some dumb bimbo, talking about the latest project she knows Stark International is working on._

_"The investors will not be happy, and she is talking about the shield project – Nick Fury will not be happy about it!"_

_"I didn't ask for your advice! I'm sick of hearing what I'm supposed to do from a stupid child who's in school just because she has my same surname! Remember that my parents adopted you only for pity – we never gave a damn about you! It's only thanks to me that you have what you do!" She goes back into her room in silence, and cries herself to sleep. _

_The next day, she enters in his office in their apartment; walking with her __pj__, she is unsure. She has a bad feeling about this._

_The bad feeling is confirmed when she sees him, standing against the window, his armor on – he didn't bother to remove it, looks like he doesn't care what she thinks of it (or maybe he doesn't care of her, or he doesn't remember it's spring break and she is at home); the helmet is in his hands, and Tony is talking with it, with a voice… She knows that something was wrong, but couldn't accept it, didn't want to see it. Jarvis even went away in the morning, he told her he was sorry to leave such a girl in such an unfortunate state, but she is only in spring break, and soon school will start again and she'll be out of this. She didn't want to understand it – now she has to._

_"I don't know why they say all those bad things about alcohol. It helped me, I found a solution! – He says as he drinks again, from an almost empty bottle – Tony Stark is my problem, so, I'll stop being Tony Stark! From now on, I'll be only… Iron Man!" he puts on the helmet, and leaves. He flies away, happy about being Iron Man, and being Tony Stark… It's something that makes him unhappy. She knows it was the alcohol, but it hurts too much. She decides to hurt him as well: she'll wait for him to come back to her, and then she'll tell everything in his face, even that she is a mutant._

_But, when, few days later, he shows up at her dorm at MIT, she doesn't have the strength to; he is still taller than her – he has to knee a bit to be at eye level._

_"I'm sorry, Chris, I hope you'll forgive me, eventually. I know I've been as ass lately, but, I'm working on it. And, I know there's nothing I can say to take back what I told you the other day… and I know it was horrible and…" She hugs him, and collapses into tears, and can't find the strength of telling him she knows – and that she isn't a normal teenager._

"I didn't know you were close to her, Reed" Don is reading her vitals, watched by Reed Richards, who isn't complaining about it or commenting them – just watching him doing so.

"She was one of my students. She worked for me as well, for a while. Last year, we spent Christmas together, in England… and she and her boyfriend helped us in rescuing Val – he smiles a little – she had such a potential, I always wondered why she decided to put second her work as a scientist. Now I guess I know…"

**_Fight._**

_"Tell me, Christine, now that your studies are over, have you already considered a career choice?" She is just a teen, and she thinks that a teen shouldn't be in this position. She is sitting at the kitchen isle, while Reed Richards, that Reed Richards, is standing at the opposite side, drinking coffee. She is tense, and it's not just because Reed is a way older than her, or because his brother in law made fun of her (keeping calling her a keener), and it's not even because he is a damn super-hero. It's because he is Reed Richards, smartest man alive _

_"I've read your essay about quantum strings and contingent multiversal space – he pauses, looking focused – the theory about space shared by more than one plane of reality is quite… interesting."_

_"Hum... – she starts like a dumb idiot – thanks"_

_"Are you going to enter in the family business?"_

_"Hum, Tony… he doesn't want me to develop weapons."_

_"Oh, I see"_

_"I'm the one who doesn't want to do it in the first place, so it's not a big deal. I'm more a defensive kind of person anyway, so…- she scrolls her shoulders, but still, focused on him and tense – I was thinking about continuing my studies. There's always room for learning, I was thinking about becoming a medical doctor. I think that micro-technology and medicine will have a great impact on each other on the time being, I'm sure that knowing them both will come at handy."_

_"I assume you're not interested in taking a position as my assistant, right?" the smartest man alive has just offered a job – as his assistant – to her._

"Lord, I can't believe…- Clint is standing at crossed arms, at one side of the bed, his breathings as regular as the sounds of the machines in the room that are keeping alive his long-time friend; Bobbi is at his back, her hands on his shoulders, feeling sorry both for the state her husband is in and for the state the woman in front of them is – she may not know Chris as well as him, but she definitely cares; at the opposite side, facing them, Carol and Spider-man. – I should have never dragged her into this… I gave her the damn speech about powers and responsibility, and she has to listen to me!"

"We fought together during the invasion, you know? She is quite a natural. I doubt it's that much your doing, Clint – Carol smiles a little, gazing over the body – Tony shouldn't give up yet. She is a fighter. I'm sure she'll get over in."

"I still blame myself, Carol, and only seeing her alive could make it better."

"Didn't she join Excalibur on her own? She did the choice, and if she was smart enough to get the speech, I say, it's not your fault – Spidey says – no one here is to blame. She did the right choice, and she knew the risks. I'm not saying I'm fine seeing her like that, hell, I dated her couple of times, and she was actually a nice person, a bit messed up, but nice and funny. No one deserves this, but it is life, and we shouldn't blame ourselves for this, right?" But his voice it's not so sure, and it comes out as a question.

**_Fight_**

_They are sitting in a café, in a small table away from the view of the other costumers, in a place where Clint often goes, a place where he knows the people and the people knows him, a small, simply café, with handy people that reminds him of his youth, when everything was a way simpler. She is drinking a mug of boiled green tea, while is looking at her, sitting in front of the brow-head girl, with crossed arms, both in silence from the moment they put feet in that place. But, at a certain moment, Clint, looking directly in her eyes, breaks the silence._

_"How long do you know?" she looks at him in silence, stopping to drink, putting the mug on the table, trying to think about an answer, but for some reasons, she doesn't. She decides not to lie._

_"I've always knew it, since I was just a child." She answers without look in his eyes, avoiding eye-contact, a little sad, and, over all, worried. That's her secret, and she doesn't want to see it spilled on newspapers._

_"And does Tony know that you…."_

_"No"_

_"And why don't you tell him? He cares about you, you are his sister in all but blood, he'll understand." _

_"It's my only my choice, decide to tell him or not. And I decided to keep it for me."_

_"You could do a lot of good, with your… abilities."_

_"Again, it's only up to me to decide."_

_" I think I understand what's going on in that little evil brain of yours, you know? You want to punish him for something, something you found out when you were a teen… what happened to you, Christine? Tony told me a lot of good thing about you, and from what I saw, you really are not that bad…"_

_"I just found out that no one is who and what ithey claim to be, neither the ones around me."_

_"So, you know the truth about Tony and his armored bodyguard… - she nods, in silence, looking at the cup in her hand- does he knows that you know?"_

_"No, and it's not necessary. – she pauses, taking a sip of the cold beverage – you are one of them, aren't you?"_

_"Since I know your secrets, I think I could tell you mine. Yes, I am. I am Clint Francis Barton, better known by the world by the name Hawkeye."_

_When she told Tony that she'd like to spend more time with him now that she is back in New York, she definitely didn't mean that (spending time at the Hellfire Club, she means). The membership is gained by blood – and their parents were members. As soon as she is of age (non that they'd care that much- hellfire club means libertinism), Tony introduces her to the fellow members of the New York Chapter- it's a party, and she is wearing a strapless black dress, with a good sight of her __chest__, long but with a deep slit on the front and quite the train. She doesn't like the place, though- it's too libertine even for the Standards of a Stark, and the other Stark is playing his usual role of idiotic playboy – he no longer drinks, but still fakes it because they are at a party, and if it's not idiotic something like that…_

_For being a party, Chris finds it pretty boring, but there's something in this place that intrigues her: the ones she has been introduced to by Tony, the so-called Black King- Sebastian Shaw, Black Queen – just Selene – and the White Queen – Emma Frost – are all mutants, she can feels it – and at least one of them has her same powers. She is intrigues- maybe a bit too much. Because Chris stark is young, and, as smart as she is, she is arrogant as well – and has no fear. She has decided that this will be her next toy – if beauty and money and will not buy her a spot, she has always her psychic mutant powers to rely on, she thinks. She thinks it will be fun and amusing. But, once she finds herself alone (Tony HAS to follow one of the waitresses to try to convince her to become his maid), she is faced by Shaw's servant, a woman named Tessa- and yes, Chris can feel a telepath when it's that close._

_"Go Home, you don't belong here. You are going to dance with the devils, staying here. You think yourself as a player, when you are just a toy – the powers of the woman is incredible, she attacks Christine with everything she has, and it's just devastation, as she no longer knows which side is up or down, her mind so messed up by the attack – but you are a mere toy. And consider that my power, compared to theirs, is nothing. Yet, have you seen what happened to you? – Tessa doesn't grin, it's damn serious, and, for the first time, Chris does feel fear – they are evil, they love to corrupt souls, especially if they are as innocent as yours. I'm risking everything by telling you this. You are brave… now show me that you are wise as well"_

_She leaves immediately – and will be scared of this woman, wondering why she bothered to help. One day, Xavier will answer this question._

_She wonders if it is fate that brought them to her- or maybe it happened by chance. She has left everything behind (her name, her country, her old family, her work and even her powers – the billionaire Noble Prize winner is now called Addison, like her husband, lives in England and teaches Science in a primary School). Everybody told her she was doing a mistake, but Christine Stark (Addison, she repeats herself, her name's Addison!) is never wrong, mostly about that big. Clint says she should allow herself to be happy- and he loves to repeat her that, since with great powers come great responsibilities, she should use her gifts to swear to protect a world that fear and hate her (she hates when he acts this way- he sound like Superman's human parents). She definitely wasn't looking for it, when it happened (even if she has to admit that she enjoyed saving those lives in that robbery), but, when the subway collapsed, what was she supposed to do? She HAD to calm all those people, and, while the walls were crushing around and on them, she HAD to built a force-field to protect them (she didn't know how she could do it – she'll get the answers only when she'll discover that Charles had a doing in playing with her powers). Hours and hours later, when the survivors are finally found, she is on her knees, merely alive, in the baddest shape someone has ever been, exhausted and close to collapse – Excalibur brings her to Moira, because she knows how to deal with people with super-powers, and in her condition she could get a seizure soon. Kitty will tell her she has a great will, and, in the following days (Clint be damned) she thinks and reflects, coming to the conclusion that she has been a witness her whole life, while she could be a main character, and that, until that moment, she has merely survived, and not lived. (She thinks she has finally found what she has looked for her entire life). Maybe, chance is just another word for fate…_

_As Kitty and Kurt enter in the apartment, they see Alec, sitting in the dining room, face in his hands, alone, looking at few old images on the table._

_"I'm so sorry, Alec…." Kurt says, as Kitty goes near him and puts an hand on his shoulder, saying "If there's anything we can do…." they just learned, like the whole world, leaving out the fact that the world doesn't know that Iron Man was Tony Stark, and that his only little sister is in said home… (Alec doesn't know it as well, he just knows that Tony is missed, and part of his wonders if she learned of his death thanks to her powers)_

_"T…thank you, Kitty, you too, Kurt… Tony…. He is missed, but, I don't know, I think… she could know something… or maybe she is feeling it…she is destroyed…"_

_"Where's she now?" Kurt asks, going near him._

_"She… she is in our room, she hasn't stopped crying from the moment she knew…. She is closed inside, and doesn't even want to talk to me… she just says she wants to give up…"_

_"She seemed so strong when we learned…. She is always so strong. But closing this up… to bury this… we always wants our friends to understand us, but never like this." Kurt says, as Kitty goes in front of the room._

_"Chris, open, please… we just want to know if you are ok or not…" Shadowcat says, as she enters, phasing through the door, and Kurt does the same teleporting inside, when they don't get an answer; once inside, Kitty sees Chris; She hugs the girl who's on the floor, desperate, almost hysterical – but she just keeps whispering. Tony's identity was a secret and she wants to keep things this way._

_"They were the Avengers… they were Hearth's mightiest… tell me it's not true… they are not gone… they are not… please Kitty… tells me it's just a joke…. They are alive... they must be alive… they must come back – she pauses, then looks at Kurt, tears in her eyes – How did you do it, Kurt? How did you overcome your brother's death?"_

_"I hate to say this, Chris, but you get used to it."_

_"I haven't yet" she whispers between tears in Kitty's arms; she doesn't bother telling them that the real Tony died months before, and this one was just a teenager from an alternate reality – but it was still her brother, and she never said goodbye, neither to this one, nor to the real one; she doesn't care any longer about what's happening around her- she even doesn't see Brian entering, kneeling at her side like her friends, and it's hard not to – he has taken her for the shoulders, and he is looking at her in her black eyes, telling her that Betsy called because she needed to pass a message._

_"I've been told that you wished to talk with me?" the place is half destroyed- she wonders how the Xavier Institute could stand still. The man on the wheelchair is under the porch, and he is looking at her. She is still in costume – the black outfit, the cape with cowl on her face, and the iron mask – while he is like he has always been in his civil life: normal clothes. He looks older – but he can't be that old. She remembers him – she has seen him a couple of times with Professor Richards. _

_"Onslaught" he just says, looking at his feet, while she stands under the rain with her costume. _

_"He killed many heroes" not all, just many: Spiderman is still alive, as well few Avengers, and, mostly, the X-men._

_"But he killed your brother as well, with them- She feels that he isn't talking about Tony, but about Iron Man. She goes to sit at his side, no cowl and no mask. He knows – I knew from a while"_

_"Tony died months ago" she explains him what happened, what she isn't supposed to know – but Clint was her friend, and there's people who cares too much about this "princess" to lie to her._

_And he tells her everything. And with everything- he really tells everything to this young woman. "Ironic, isn't it? I did more to destroy all that we've worked for, than the legion of adversaries we've faced since our trials began"_

_He thought she was going to hit him, to hurt maybe, verbally or physically, but she keeps looking at the rain, her chin on her palm, her elbows on her knees, a little smile on "but you did many things in your life – you can't judge yourself for a single mistake, a mistake you did in good faith. You did so much good, changed so many lives for the better, and you want to act like it never happened?"_

_"I've always known that, having these powers meant that I had to use them to protect the others…."_

_"I know, at a certain point, I understood it as well, that's why I joined Excalibur"_

_"But almost 30 people died to stop him, so many innocents were scared by him… and New York has been almost destroyed… and I'm responsible for that"_

_"There are many people who own you their lives. You could still help…"_

_As he leaves, she finds herself alone in the porch, until a hands is on her shoulder, and the red-head known as Jean Grey – which she met few weeks before – is at her side (people's laughing inside, and she thinks that she'd like to laugh as well, because it's been an hell of a long time since she last did it)offering normal clothes and breakfast; next thing she knows, she is sitting at their table, jeans and polo, talking with Summers, Jean and Betsy (she already knew them personally); McCoy refers to her as Dr Addison few times, but, once he is left alone with her, he left a "Stark" slip out. She smiles a little when he does so (she thinks he keeps doing it just to make her smile). She finds herself smiling more and more- she thought she was no longer able to – because Bobby is too much of a prankster to not laugh and he is simply adorable when he flirts with her (the wedding ring is at her neck – Alec didn't appreciate her being an hero, so, he decided to "seriosuly consider taking another path in his life-meaning, he is calling things off with her, if she'll not stop being an hero, and she isn't sure she wants to ).Next things she knows, she not only has joined the X-Men, but found a family as well- and this one will last._

_When they're back, she doesn't know what to do. Clint calls her – says she should use it as an excuse to get closer to her family again. She doesn't know what to do – she isn't even supposed to know that he is Iron Man. She doesn't even know how this Tony could have all the memories of the other Tony- her Tony. She remains with the X-Men, living a double life, but it's hard, too hard (maybe it could be simple, if she just lived in New York and had a normal job...). Besides, nowadays she has to lie a lot; because she is keeping records on Reed and Tony for their fellow Illuminato Xavier (Thanks God Reed's connected with other 2 illuminati, so her work gets simpler)._

_Pietro leaves the X-men and comes back to his family, and she'd like to be just like him – working with her family and her friends. She'd like to work side by side with Tony, but she knows it will not happen- not yet, at least – so she gives up and accepts a position in LA (because Alec come back to her with wet eyes asking for forgiveness and because she had an argument with Tony- it seems that her vision of skintech and psyonic armor are too futuristic, according to him), only after having given him her latest AI, Friday,(Fry), who's a bit crazy but it's developed on her brain patterns so it doesn't really matter._

_She tells herself she is done with being a hero, that her marriage is worth the pain of how she misses the cape- and she misses it so much, that she know she'll not able to resist the temptation to wear her costume again. _

_She may be rich, but Chris has never been in Boulder, Colorado, and the only reason she is here today is because a) she is quite plain and people tends to forget her and b) her best friend slash surrogate brother, Clint Barton, is here._

_"Clint, the Thunderbolts are a group of well-known criminals. Why are doing this, exposing you in such a way?" She yells at him in silence, while they are having dinner._

_"They are former criminals, Chris. I was one of them as well, at the beginning, because I did mistakes, but the Avengers helped me to redeem myself. I just, I want to do the same for others as well"_

_"Clint, are you sure they are like you used to be? Few of them used to be regular full-time super-villains"_

_"Princess, I know what I'm doing..."_

_"Then, I'm proud of you… you choose the hard path, and that says everything about you,"- she pauses, her hands crossed, smirking- although I'd like to know the name of the lady who stole your heart… - silence on his side, until... –ok, now I'm worried…tell me it's a woman, please…"_

_"Christine Antoinette Addison!"_

_"Yeah, yeah, ok sorry…. So, is it about Songbird or Moonstone? Knowing you, it will be Moonstone, right?"_

_"I hate you"_

_"Nah, you couldn't live without me. Now, what's the real problem? Tell Aunt Chris, and she'll try to make it better…"_

_"I'm starting to feel good with her, and, I don't know…"_

_"Do you feel guilty?"_

_"Princess, sometimes, I really hate you…" he smirks, tasting the beer- no wine, he doesn't like it._

_"Bobbi would like to see you happy."_

_There's a hint of sadness as she says so, driving him to assume that, maybe, he should skip the subject. "Nice hair you got, I like the new stile"_

Logan remains in silence to look at her, for like hours, looking at what the doctors say it's only a body. "So, girly girl, what's your intention? Because I don't know what you want to do, but there are plenty of people waiting for you to wake up, and I know you well enough to say that you are a way better than this. So, you put your act together and come back here as soon as possible, or otherwise, next time we train, I'll royally kick your ass, gotcha?"

**_Fight_**

_"If the thing gives you the power of being sexy, those women really sell themselves short" As Alistair is gone, he is reached by none other than Chris Addison- previously known as the Blackdragon. As he turns, Pete steals a couple of glances, and notices how she is changed since the last time he saw her, when they were both leaving Muir.- and it's not for the short, black dyed hair, for the short fitting sheath dress or the long leather coat – she used to have a light, and the light is gone._

_"Stark, how long" It's weird but not surprising that he called her like that (knowing things is his work)- Pete is the one to be surprised, for once, because he offered her a cigarette (without actually asking her), and wasn't waiting for her to accept it – he lifts his eyebrows as she answers to the unspoken question annoyed._

_"Ah, c'mon, growing up with Tony was either a cig once in a while or drinking myself to oblivion, and I'd rather die than becoming an alcoholic" she hopes two things: that he'll not tell her that she is currently smoking herself to death- but it'd go against him – or why she knows what going through alcoholism feels like._

_They remain in silence, looking at the docks, until, a stolen glance later, she interrupts it, unintentionally._

_"Eh" she murmurs, a hint of laugh; he looks at her quizzically – she wonders if it's normal that she finds amusing the fact that he seems an hybrid between Tony and Fury; mostly, she wonders if it's sick to feel the desire to ruffle that dark hair._

_"So, tell me..."_

_"You lack of money and technological resources – you may have knowledge, but it's not enough for what you want to do."She doesn't even allow him to end the sentence (classical Chris)._

_"I'm flattered, you want to help me"_

_She turns and look into those blue eyes (she has always been a sucker for blue eyes) "It's not for you, it's for them. I've been in the X-Men with Sam, and a person asked me to use our "friendship" to look after him and his team… and it's what I'm going to do." _

_"You are the smart one, tell me, will it work?" they are side by side in the San Francisco HQ; he is sitting in front of the monitors, while she stands, checking on the team._

_"You are the spy, you tell me"_

_"It will"_

_"They'll hate you."_

_"Like I care. I'm here to train them, not to be their best friend"_

_"And the prize for daddy of the year goes to Pete Wisdom... – she smiles and sits on the board, in front of him, polo and a black jeans skirt on – I could be able to provide a LMD from the Stark Labs, but I can't guarantee that it will work. They'll never buy it; you'll have to use something else."_

_"You are the computer geek. See if there's any dead John Doe in the morgues who could be me, we'll alter his appearance somehow."_

_"It will be dangerous, going into hiding like that, all alone and on your own…" she turns to look at the younger "children", cold._

_"Been there, done that, got the shirt"_

_"There's no way to tell if you'll be back" she is still looking at the screens, still cold, still giving him her shoulders._

_"You worried? I thought you said you weren't here for me…" he grins, and stands a little, getting closer, as his hands start to lift her skirt, wondering under it._

_"Like I give a damn about you…" he knows what she means- she doesn't care about him and about what they are doing, that every time they are together they don't make love but- she hates herself for saying this word, but she can't find a better one- just fuck- and it's just a twisted way to get her revenge on a man who has left her again, after she had given up the only good thing in her life, and she so damn hopes to hurt him, even if she knows that he'll probably be with some blonde bimbo right now and he'll never care about her, because he'll say that Wisdom is just a rebound._

_"One last time, for old time's sake?" he is attacking her polo, now, kissing her neck – because she never allows him to kiss her on the lips (a kiss is intimate, more than sex)._

_In a certain sense, it's the last time they do it – years later, she'll wake up in his arms, kissing him on the lips and wanting to make love to him for the rest of her life._

_"I want you to offer your services to Magneto - Charles is direct, as always, he has always been with her- because he knows that she'll never be able to say no; she just lifts her eyebrows as she waits for him to go on – tell him you'll cure him, tell him you'll do it for your knowledge. – he pauses, crossed hands – as a XSE agent, your next mission will consist in going to Genosha, gaining Erik's confidence to look over him… and control him." He has her, he always had. She'll do as her boss is asking her to- also because the dream is too important, and Alec can go to Hell this time._

_Yesterday evening they had another argument: she has been the one who decided to be a hero, who moved to Genosha and started working for magneto 24/7 (which is true- she is close to a solution, she feels it, and, besides, he seems different, like he actually cared – he even gave her a new name, PsyBlade). He yells that he never asked for this, that he is unhappy (she doesn't wonder why a human could be unhappy on Genosha, she knows the reason). She replies that he was the one asking her to take him back, and that, at this point, he should have understood her- he remains in a furious silence, and leaves slamming the door. She is not mad, sad or angry – she just regrets many choices she made. She thought he married her out of love and not her name – it seems otherwise now. She wonders why she keeps giving him chance after chance, going through that many ups and downs. Maybe Clint has always been right, and she is simply too stubborn to admit that she did a mistake, eloping in Vegas, marrying her first boyfriend (or maybe she is an emotional auto-lesionist, or maybe she has never really learned to relate with people on an emotional level…). He'll come back, and she'll take him back, as always, so, what is she supposed to do? Nothing, that's what. And the fact that she removes the wedding ring, it's just to piss him off when he'll be back (this time he'll not come back, though.)._

_"My arms may be subtle, but I have my mind to compensate - she feels the ruined moving. She feels a presence, than another one- definitely not a telepath. - She used to be called The Blackdragon. She was one of us"_

_That's when Jean finds her – along with Hank, showing a new look. Exams reveal that she has been able to turn her mind off to avoid "overloading" – she absorbed too many thoughts, and stocked them somewhere in her unconscious (she reaches them only when asleep, and every night will be hell for the rest of her life). Hank can't explain how she survived, though- he thinks of a cocoon around her body, but there's no trace of a physical one, and a psychic one couldn't resist that long to that kind of attack – he thinks she did shielded herself, but, at the same, made herself invisible to the Sentinel. (He hopes she'll have an epiphany like Emma, but she doesn't, and, instead, follows Ororo's team)_

_Jean had been the one asking her to join the team the first time; she asked Ororo's team after Madripoor as well. Jean and Rachel had always been there for her, and now, Jean is dead, killed by Erik, while she was too busy pretending to be normal (because she could pretend to be a waitress, sure). She feels so guilty, that, when Charles moves to Genosha, she follows him (emotional auto-lesionist).Even if she has a soft spot for Wicked, it doesn't last – Morgan can calls the ghosts, but Chris is the one living with them, and in Genosha things get worst – and she eventually moves away (she'll eventually regret this choice)_

_She is having a drink in his room at the Avengers mansion – and she never drinks, and has been a lifetime since she last talked with him, so it's really strange (but it's not like he doesn't know what she is doing there). The Red Skull/Secretary of defense has been just defeated – and many people lost their lives._

_"Elmet, off, now" she orders, facing him. He doesn't answer- and she is calm and doesn't point at him, other bad signs. (weird, she should be mad with him, because since his outing, she has tried to reach him but he has never answered- she is there out of desperation)_

_"I'm not mad, really. I was mad when I saw you on TV putting on the armor, and even when a press guy managed to find me, asking how I felt about the fact that my brother was Iron man. Now I'm beyond that" He tries to tell he wanted to tell her the truth, but couldn't reach her, that she moved on with her life (she remembers him that she had a husband – but he says that Alec wasn't worthy her because he kept leaving her). She tells him that the real reason he never confessed the double-identity thing was that he never cared enough about her- and that he should leave her alone for a while._

_After Genosha, she has decided to move back to London (even if she has visited Tony that time in New York)- she has decide that what she wants from her life is being a scientist – Alistair once in a while asks her help (now the poor guy looks like an 80 years old man, thanks to Morgana) and sometimes she runs in Pete (Wisdom – she doesn't understand why she feels the need to call him just Pete)and, when she does, there's a small part of her heart that aches. She hasn't talked in a while with her "old friends", and so, when she appears in his room in the London Stark Mansion, Clint is a bit surprised (she explains him that she is a Stark, so that makes the place her home, and she is doing her duty of mistress of the house, checking on him –and maybe she just wanted to talk with her brother, after all). They talk and talk, remembering the past (she tells him of her time in Excalibur and about "her" Captain Britain)._

_"People will talk, wondering why Christine Stark is here, talking with me…"_

_"Maybe I find you irresistible" She doesn't know why, but she kisses him- and ends up being pushed away, with Clint remaining in silence, looking betrayed._

_She leaves, as he explains her that she is smart and beautiful and he is the problem, because he is in love with someone else, she says she understands, that's her fault, but she cries, and the tears will not leave anytime soon: she cries for two days, on her knees in a corner of her bathroom, holding the newspaper talking about Hawkeye's death- Clint's death. (She has lost another friend – Betsy, Jean and now Clint)._

_She looks at the CNN live from her house in London – she has decided that she feels almost fine here. "The super-hero registration act is law". She closes her eyes in disbelief, and almost cries. She thinks about what Rachel told her many times – she takes her things and moves back. It is not that she doesn't think about the consequences- she doesn't care about them anymore- just about what that Idiot of her brother is doing. Next thing she knows is that she is a registered hero._

_"I think that the SHRA is bullshit, and that it will not end well, like any other kind of registration. Rachel Grey saw this coming, even tried to prevent it, but looking at the event, I'm not sure she did it."_

_"You mean that…"_

_"I mean that I love my brother, but that I think that he could be wrong about it, and when the times will come, if it will come, I want to be the one to stop him. That's all." That's what she says to Leonard during their last session of therapy – he tried to force her to talk about Genosha, and she didn't like it (but she'll respect the man almost always)_

_"Didn't know you were such a stalker, Stark - Still at semi-closed eyes, Peter Wisdom grins, and, covered in sweat for the bad night sleep he just had, he sits in his bed, still under the soft and old covers, just a pair of boxers on, and keeps grinning at the figure in front of him, a violet image, like a ghost, sitting on his bed Indian style, biting her lips – it has to be hard, projecting your own psychic image here, on the other side of the planet, on the physical plane"_

_Steve Rogers is back._

_"Yes, I saw it on TV. It's a good thing, right? – He pauses, messing his hair up, and looks back at her – and… Ehm. I saw what happened to you and Tony as well. I saw what Osborn did to him and… he was a good man"_

_Tony made it. Osborn is going to be screwed...-__ she pauses - the real Captain America is back from the death. Thor is back. Tony's will be back in shape soon._

_"A shot – he looks at her, serious, blue eyes into black ones – you're ready for revolution because the big 3 are back from the death, that's what you mean, right?"_

_Maybe not now, but… soon. Once he'll do a mistake, we'll be there to show the world what he really is._

_"You're going to fight Osborn"_

_I have to._

_"I know. And I know it's the reason we… we did whatever we did, ok?"_

_I don't like a fight where I could end up in jail, but I know I have to. – She smiles a bit, opening her arms – I want to fight the good fight. I want a real life, not having to look different from who I am because I'm one of world's most wanted, I want out of hotel rooms I trick my way in, I want a life, I want to be a hero for real, I want to walk in the park in the morning, I want to go out again in the evening, to go to clubs and walk in the park and behave as a normal being…_

_"That would be nice…"_

_And there's only one way to do that, though…_

_"Do what you have to and be careful, will you?"_

_Are you asking me to be all girlfriend/boyfriend with you all over again, Mr. W?_

_"Gee, always hated when the children called me that way… - He says more to himself, looking at the ceiling – You are here, that's a good start. Besides…"_

_Besides?_

_"When that thing will be done, we can get out of here, the both us, going to that desert island and figure everything out…."_

_A vacation, Can't remember last time I had one...__ – she grins a little, like she used to when she knew he was about to kiss her – No, I remember. Last year, we celebrated Christmas with the F4, and had to help them saving Valeria from a few millennia old eating-children monster…_

_"A new start, a vacation, call it as you like; let it be what you prefer…"_

_A new start… I kind of like the sound of it._

_"Then, all you have to do is just bringing back here that nice ass of yours once you'll be done, preferably in one piece…"_

"Dammit Stark, you're supposed to keep your promises…" Pete whispers these words at low voice, giving her a kiss on the cheek, skimming gently over her naked left wrist, hoping that she could feel it, before deciding to leave in order to join the others in the not so distant waiting room – he smells of smoke, has avoided alcohol just because Chris has told him once about Tony and thought that she'd kill him, if she'd found out that he put her brother on the wrong side again.

"Are you all right, Pete?" Barton, for the first time, calls him with his name, giving him a sympathetic pack on the back; they look at each other, and it's like looking into a mirror, because they are both lost a light, they both look tired- of everything.

"Anything new from the doctors?" he doesn't answer to Barton's question – he guesses that his look is telling enough; he simply throws himself on a chair, head between his hands.

"She is fighting, but she is too weak to survive this – Don tells him, a hand on his shoulder, like to comfort him, like she was already dead - I'm sorry"

"Everything she has going through, going down like that… I can't believe that…" Pete pauses, his hands covering his face, beard of days on.

"Is she alone? No one should alone when…" Carol can't end the sentence, she is too sorry for them- and for Chris as well, and for her, too, since she is losing a friend as well, and can't stand the sight of Bobbi's hand on Clint's one, like the poor man was broken.

"Could we please avoiding talking of her like she was already dead, please? – He shouts standing and going in front of a window, looking at the landscape – my girlfriend is still in that room, breathing and her heart beating. She is still fighting! – He turns to face Tony, is eyes red of fury and agony – she is a fighter. She went to hell and back. She'll never go down this way. You think you know her? Sorry man, you're wrong! **I** know her! **Barton **knows her! You just cared about her when it was useful! That's not what she'd like! She'd want to stay alive to continue to fight her battle, that's what!"

"I think I saw Doc entering in the room" Don says at crossed arms, almost a whisper, while Tony and Pete stay one in front of each other in silence.

"Once her friend is gone, someone should go to her; she shouldn't be alone in case…." As for magic, the aforementioned man appears in front of them, a caring expression on his mature features and exams in his hands.

"I thought we were all here… - Clint says looking at Tony – I'm sure I heard you saying that everybody who could make it was here…"

"Yes, I…" Tony doesn't know what to say.

"He is a strange man, indeed: old, Oriental, quite conservative in his clothing choice. He looked like he cared, and he stroke me as a good man"

"The Mandarin..." Tony's voice is a whisper as he runs in her room, followed by everybody, reaching it in record time.

"The Mandarin's dead, Tony – Jim says putting his hands on Tony's shoulders, his owns on her bed – besides, he'd never hurt her to hurt you, it's not his style."

"No, no, you're right…" Tony doesn't bother to tell his friend that The Mandarin is still alive – he knows that he'd never hurt someone else to hurt him, it'd be too easy.

"Doc, could you check this out, please?" both Don and Doc aren't paying attention to the other people in the room, focused just on the patient.

"Oh" Doc's stunned as he looks at the monitors.

"Is that a good "oh" or bad one?" Spidey looks at the doctors, the doctors look at each other, and everybody else is focused on Tony – like he had to choose now what to do with the life of his sister.

"She is stable" Don looks at the woman and back at the screens, talking at low voice, astonished and unable to understand what happened, massaging the back of his head, while Tony lifts his face to look at him, hope in his eyes- and in his voice as well.

"You mean… you can do surgery now? There's still a chance to save her?"

"No, it's... it's not what I said… I mean that…"

Don looks at Doc, who is checking again the results, and turns to look at them, stunned but enthusiastic as well.

"No, no, he meant that there's no longer need of surgery! She is… she is healed! There's no longer even trace of the bruises and of the scratches, hell, even the tattoos are vanished, like her skin healed… reflexes and pupils are reactive, her breathing and pulse are normal… everything is normal and frankly – he says as he moves a bit the middle-age look-a-like bracelet with the black stone that's on her left wrist, starting to remove all the things that were supposed to help her to survive a bit longer – I don't know what happened…."

"_I want to sleep…"_ Chris' whispers come out as a benediction, as she turns in the bed, moving everything, closing her eyes firmly to not allow the light to disturb her, fighting her team-mates and friends to let her stay, for once.

"Chris!" Tony shouts, in tears, as he runs to the bed and takes her in his arms, followed by many others that joined him when he called her; in this action, he is mimicked by Wisdom, who takes her off-guard with his presence on the other side of the bed. "Bloody Hell, Love, don't you dare to do this to me ever again!"

"Guys… what's wrong with you? I can't breathe! - she says, still sleepy, trying to hide her head under the pillow, an action she stops the moment she understands it's futile.- wait a sec… what the hell is Wisdom doing here?"

"Miss Stark, how do you feel?" She turns, once sat on the bed, and finally notices Doc and Blake's presence.

"Ehm… fine? Actually, I haven't felt that good in quite a long time… why?"

"What do you remember?" Doc asks her as he starts his analyses of the subject.

"I'm still waiting for you to answer my question - she says, turning to face the other heroes, knowing that both Tony and Pete (and, as far as she can say, Clint as well) are in some kind of dream-state - guys, I'm serious. Why are you surrounding my bed? And why I am in a bed in the first place? – she turns and looks around herself, noticing the militaries in the structure for the first time – have we been arrested?" she asks, stunned, like in disbelief.

"Love, what's the last thing you remember? – Pete asks, taking her for the shoulders, and deciding to answer her as he sees how she is going to freak out –No, you aren't under arrest. I don't know what the President will decide of you all now, but you received a temporary pardon."

"Way to make an impression, Black. I've always know you were quite the super-star kind of person, girly girl."

"I didn't mean to… Wait a sec… If Logan is here, Utopia is no longer sealed, then? - She asks suddenly, facing Tony who nods – Then… Osborn is gone? We won?" As she says so, Pepper runs in her direction, and, even if only the last months saw them getting along and to know each other, hugs Chris crying in her hospital gown.

"Please people, it's embarrassing! I don't even know what you are all talking about!"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jessica asks her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the scene.

"I remember Osborn's green face. And Sentry turning all Angel of Death on Asgard, destroying it"

"I tried to take control of the helicarrier, to turn it into a giant bullet, but you did it in my place, saying I was too weak to make it; at the same time, you managed to complete the evacuation. When all hell broke loose, you couldn't protect yourself, and suffered major injuries." Tony calmly explains her, as she closes her eyes to concentrate better.

"I remember seeing the Sentry, and being scared…, but then it all goes blank…"

"I'd say you and your friends did a hell of a job, Love… for now, that's all you need to know."

_Epilogue: New York City, Avengers Tower, the day after the Siege of Asgard_

"Did any of you other new Avengers think this shindig was a trap?"

"Considering that it was Rogers to call the shots, I'd say there aren't so many chances it's an actual trap, Spidey - Chris, dressed with plain clothes for once (a simple bright red polo and black skinny jeans, paired so that the triqueta on her left hip could be visible), approaches the 3 team-mates (Parker, Logan and Clint) who gathered on the roof of the once Stark Tower, now again Avengers Tower, as almost every other member of the Super-hero community of the country. – Jeez, it's so not right! You got all the fun with your little adventure against Hood and Madame Masque!"

"Ehy, shouldn't you be, I don't know, on bed rest, since, you know, you almost died just yesterday?" Chris smiles, a genuine smile, almost a laugh, because, even if he is wearing the mask, she knows that, under it, Parker is, at least, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, "almost" is the magical word. I swear to God, I've never felt this good, I have total control over my powers and my body, and my wounds healed completely… even the old scars are gone now. Honestly, I'll not be the one complaining if it will turn out that resurrecting is my new power… – she smirks, satisfied, as she puts her left elbow on Logan's right shoulder – besides, everyone checked me on everything twice, and everything keeps coming out fine; Beside, - she paused again, her grin getting wielder- I threatened the staff, telling them I was going to brainwash them if they weren't going to let me out"

"Always charming, Black"

"She escaped the hospital" Clint points it out, affirming something that should be, in truth, a question; Chris just snorts, looking pissed off as never before, confirming his suspicions, while Logan keeps drinking his beer, knowing that, even after 100, he'll never feel the effects, as he glances in her way.

She'd like to roll her eyes, but, considering the truth behind Clint's statement, she really can't, so, she simply answers him with total nonchalance. "I got bored, and I really do feel great"

"Slim says hi. He said he is sorry he couldn't make it to say his final goodbye to you, but he has to take care of the whole mutant population…"

"And we're talking about the man who goes to the funeral of people he never saw in his life because they were mutants…"

"…And that he is glad that you made it, recovering fully…."

"Yahoo, Scott didn't lose the 0.5% of the mutant population of the word yesterday!"

"… he said that he wanted to be the one to tell you this, that he was expecting you to attend the funeral, but he told me he didn't saw you paying your respects to Sentry… not that he thought that the girl who thrown a giant bullet at him could really attend said funeral..."

Chris comes back into a respectful position, hands in her pockets, eyes on the sun, where now said man has finally found his final rest "I didn't know him personally, besides… it's not like I didn't like him, it's just that…"

"You didn't trust what was inside him, also because you've been inside his head, and saw how terrible he could be" Logan says, knowing that, for a while, she felt the same way about Jean.

"Yes"

"You were scared of what he could do, and who he could become…. - He continues, and she has even stopped to nod – you thought that, somewhere, along the way, he had lost himself, becoming the shadow of the man he was and of the man he could be, you though he had become so fragile and lost that he had turned into a puppet in the hands of the masterminds of the hero community, whoever they were. – As they both pause, Logan takes another slip of beer, then, ends the sentence – don't worry, many of us felt the same way. Danvers never liked the guy"

"So, where's your boyfriend, the other Pete?" Parker suddenly asks, trying to break the uncomfortable silence they've fallen into.

"He left yesterday; he has, you know, work issues." She ménages to say with total faked nonchalance, resting her back against the balcony.

"Don't tell me you like it, I mean…"

Chris smiles, as she stops Clint from going any further "I like him - she simply says, feeling genuine feelings for the man for the first time; she had told Pete many times that she loved him, but right now, she isn't second guessing it, or questioning it, neither she is scared of admitting it at loud. - now, would like to allow me to hear what my brother has to say to the world?" smiling and crossing her arms, she turns to look at the stage, where Tony, Steve and Hill are standing side by side.

"My friends, thank you for coming to this long overdue get-together – _he isn't keeping it formally, he doesn't call it a meeting _– we've been through a lot this year – _try years, bro- _we've learned a lot, especially how stubborn we all are. Little joke here, nothing? Okay, it was too soon – _Definitely, besides, I'd say we've been too proud and sure of ourselves to admit that we did mistakes on both sides – _the government was kind enough to give me back my building – _you mean, our building. And I'd like to remember you that you rebuilt it with SHILED federal funds, so, technically, it would still belong to SHILED, if they hadn't been kind enough to find a short-way to give it back – _and my armors – _the ones we haven't destroyed, you mean? There are still 2, right? – _though we do have to fumigate like no one's business, and we all have to find out where we fit in this new world, I'm sure we'll all need to sit down and…."

"You know, I'm having the strangest feeling…- she almost whispers, playing with the omnipresent bracelet on her left wrist, feeling something, even as Tony is still speaking – Looks like my telepathy's not as good as I thought…" she dismiss it, but, in truth, it's not a foreign thought she is sensing, but something completely different, something she has never felt before, like a buzzing, something whispering directly into her mind, but not telepathic, and can't get a hold on what it may be until they make themselves manifest: the Asgardians, Thor and his most loyal people…

"_My friends, in all our times together, I was never so humbled but for the acts of friendship and bravery you bestowed upon me and my Asgardians Bothers in our hour of need._ – the once, and maybe again, King says, walking in direction of Tony and Steve – _we have much work ahead of us if Asgard is ever to find its rightful place in the nine realms, but we want you to know you have our undying thanks. As a token of all our gratitude, we thought there was not better symbol of_ _our_ _feelings towards you than this..." _He lifts his hand in the sky, and one of the men with him lifts a cane he is holding, making it shine, and, as rainbow is all around them, the top of the building changes, the modern architecture in glass and steel turning into what could belong to Thor and Thor only.

"Great, now I'll have to say definitively bye-bye to the idea if an attic with swimming-pool on the roof…"

"I thought that your attic in one Fifth Avenue did have a swimming-pool on the roof…"

"Yeah, but, I own the whole place, Parker, it's a bit different…"

"Last time I checked, you owned half of it"

"Yeah, well, what belongs to Tony belong to me as well, and what belongs to me…"  
"Belongs to Tony as well?"

"No, it just belongs to me. Differently from a certain brother, I treasured my money."

"Classy, Stark, really classy…"

"_For now and forever, anyone who needs to know, will know, that Asgard and Earth are allies: attempt to defile one, and incur the wrath of the other. And, let it be known, Avengers, one and all, if the call is given, I will join your ranks once more."_

"Well, that's good news because I'm going to need all of you for what comes next…- Steve says smiling, as he approaches the "Renegade Avengers" who are together in the same part of the room, side by side – speaking of which…"

"What the nice talk means exactly, Steve?" Clint asks at crossed arms, facing his long-time friend, the man people asked him to carry on the legacy of.

"It means that the President asked me to be America's top cop"

"You are the new Osborn! Ah!"

"I'd prefer to think of myself as of the new Nick Fury…- he pauses, looking at them almost smirking – I told him that was I going to accept the work, he had to accept a list of demand. First thing first, he took the SHRA and tossed it… and then… you are all free: Free men, free woman."

"And, may I ask if, considering the particular circumstances, we'll be cleared as well of our criminal records or is it too much? – Chris bites her lips as more than a couple of eyes turn to look at her, standing at crossed arms and shifting her weight from a foot to the other – like you didn't want to know that as well!"

"You are all free and clear, Dr. Stark"

"And now, what do we do now?" Bobbi asks as she holds Clint, looking at them, gathered together, once criminals, now heroes again, and who knows what tomorrow.

"You know Bobbi, maybe I don't know what I'll do tomorrow, but I know damn well what I'm going to do right now, and it's something I haven't done in a lifetime - Chris says, almost grinning, as again she puts her elbow on Logan's shoulder – Seriously people, am I the only one who's dying to have a walk in the park again without having to wear a disguise?"

"Look like someone is getting sentimental in her old age"

And, as she walk in Central park enjoying the warm spring breeze, between Carol and Jessica, dressed not with a costume nor with a uniform, but with plain jeans and a white camisole and heeled sandals and, for once, a very feminine purse, no X logo on sight on her body, Chris looks at them, James, Logan, Clint, Bobbi, Carol, Jessica, Luck, Jess and their baby, and even Peter, busy taking photographs of all of them: a group of friends together, normal people, happy; but, somehow, in the deepest corner of her mind, Chris can't help but be worried as well… because, as much as she'd like it to be, no one comes back from the death without any explanation, and the feeling she felt before Thor and his people arrived… she'd like to think that it's simply because she has been around him for a while, but it's too easy and too good to be true. The worst may have passed, but there's definitely something going on, and she wants to find it out.

_Things seems to be going for the best, and for the first time in a long while, I feel like there's a future, maybe even a good one, ahead of us all. Things are getting better, and I have the feeling that I'll get better as well… _"You are a way older than me, Barton!" she remarks, laughing, before starting to tell anecdotes of her time with the X-men. _For once, stop worrying, and let's have fun, even if just for a day… for once, I'm excited to see what's coming in the days ahead. _Maybe she can't admit, even to herself that she is dying of curiosity, can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring, and whatever this thing that is going on is….

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**next: **you better pick what you want to be in your life...


	42. Blackdragon: Heroica a day in the life

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert: mmm...let's see...I think there could be spoiler for the age of heroes mini (number one, I think, if I'm not wrong) and the post-siege run of Iron Man...**

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**_BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #40- HEROICA (A DAY IN THE LIFE)_**

_Avengers Tower, the roof, 12 pm_

"Are you enjoying the view, Christine?"

Still leaning against the balustrade of the balcony of the roof of Avengers Tower, Chris merely acknowledges the presence of the man at her back; she is too lost in the quiet of the moment to really care too much about what's going on.

She turns, and looks at him, dressed with a militaristic suite in dark blue, smiling at Steve Rogers, who gets closer to her, a box in his hands, looking at the same landscape she is looking at. "I missed New York. – She pauses, looking in the distance – I missed many things in my life, but this is among the ones I missed the most. New York… and the life I had here."

"The President asked me to do everything in my power to make it right- he turns a bit towards her, giving her the box, making her sign to open it – I told him the word needs Avengers."

"What…" Chris looks in disbelief at the content of the box, skimming over the surface, strong but soft at the same time, something she knows she'd feel comfortable in, like a second skin, and, as she does so, as she looks so surprised, he smiles, wanting to laugh a little, because, seriously, if she didn't see that coming…

"Bravery, nobility and strength, responsibility, ruthlessness, symbolism, savvy, and a clear view of the future, that's what I looked for in my Avengers. And then… you. You know sacrifice, you don't take anything for granted, you doubt yourself and your choices, you tend to be ready for everything."

"Essentially, you are offering me membership because I have self-esteem and trust issues, right?" she asks him with a small smile.

"I'm offering you membership because you are one of the most powerful minds of the world – Steve puts a hand on her shoulder, as she keeps looking at the fabric in her hands – I'm offering you membership because you prove yourself worthy this…" As Chris removes the item from the box completely, she is stunned to notice every particular: the black bustier has strings on the back, the pants and boots, black as well, may disappear into each other, a bit like in Frost's costume, the mantle – the long mantle – is black and red on the inside, as red as the ribbon working as a belt…

"I know it's a bit different from what you usually wear, but, considering that you started to wear that costume when you registered, I thought you could use a change. - he pauses and almost laugh – Tony's idea was of giving you a gold and red costume, and rename you the golden dragon, but Clint and Logan found amusing the idea of you with a black version of Frost's costume. I've been said you're kind of swore enemy…"

"Jean Grey was my friend. She offered me membership… in the X-Men, I mean." She says, barely an audible whisper.

Crying, she hugs the brand new costume, as Steve tenderly smiles at her, the hand still on her shoulder; she knew she shouldn't say this, but she can't help it. She has to, because it feels right, it feels the right moment.

"Yes, sir… it will be an honor… and I promise that I'll not delude you."

"Good, now, may I ask you if you have plans for tomorrow afternoon?"

_The Baxter Building, Home of the F4, 8 in the morning _

"So, the reason you two are here…" Reed, sitting in front of the monitors, raises his eyebrows a little, as Chris and Tony look at the same screens in his lab; the mutant stands on her feet, crossed arms, captivated by the sight, her cyber-sunglasses on to check on the situation better.

"Long story short: my company…"

"Our company, Tony" Chris corrects him, without looking at Tony, now facing Reed.

"Anyway, our company can no longer build an Iron Man suit. Heck, we can't even make a coffee! So I said, with Reed's technology and resources and my knowledge…"

"Our knowledge, Tony, it's our knowledge, for the millionth time. – she gives him a annoyed look, annoyed but bored at the same time, as she gesticulates a little in his direction – and don't you dare to say that this is your field. Because, last time I checked, you've lost your memory and don't remember a thing about few of Extremis' upgrades"

"Ok, Ok, I got it, you need my help, and we're going to do it together – Flashes of memory of a long time before find their way into Reed's Brain, as he looks, amused, at the two adults, arguing like two 5 years old with super-powers, like Chris used to say when she seemed more mature – How did it work?"

"Well, the Extremis process wired the suit into my brain, upgrading my biology so that interfacing with the suit and running it was as natural as breathing…" Tony starts, and soon Chris follows.

"The Extremis worked as a conduit from the inside, but, for his body to not reject it, he rewrote the original codes so that the "virus" could apply internal modifications… and external as well - Chris soon gets closer and lifts a strain of black hair from the back of his neck, revealing something close to an USB port. – Iron man was an app, Extremis was the OS and Tony was the hardware."

"Interesting…. A hybrid between human and machine…"

"When the Skrulls were able to access my system, they put down Extremis, but just the OS, and the hardware, Extremis class exo-biology, was still there and I still could access it…"

"You could still access it only on a certain basic level – Chris corrects him again, as new data, TACs and RMs appears on the screens, seeable to them and to her as well, projected in her computer-like mind – the command to access to this particular hardware come from few areas of the brain that aren't normally used. As you know, normal human beings can access less than 20% of their brain capacity. After my secondary mutation upgraded me, I ended in having 75% of my brain working at the same time, every single moment; Extremis did the same thing to Tony: it upgraded his mind, so that he could have access to these areas."

"And you know how the mind works, Reed: there was a small chance that, even with Extremis gone, my mind could rebuilt the necessary connections to access both the hardware and the data"

"From here, his brilliant idea – Chris looks at him, this time clearly annoyed and mad – to wipe his mind out."

"And you restored it from a backup, from the Extremis upload." Reed continues, looking as a teacher to a student that did something wrong.

"And that was his last backup, And none since – exasperated, she crosses again her arms, stopping to look at Tony to look at her former teacher, who, just few days before, was sitting at her side while she was on her death bed – now, you see why I can't leave him alone even for few days, right? How am I supposed to build myself a life when I have to look every single moment after my 10 years older brother?"

"Listen, I know, I'm the biggest idiot of the planet, ok? You made it quite clear. Even though all intents, even though my whole biology was programmable, even if I could backup myself at any time, even while I was asleep, I didn't do it, ok? – hands on his hips, it's his turn to look exasperated at the two, Reed amused and Chris busy biting her lips – I KNOW I screwed up, I KNOW I did amateur mistake number one, and I KNOW I did it because I've too sure and full of myself, and because I DIDN'T KNOW I could screw things up that badly, that I could run the show as badly as I did. I DON'T KNOW if I did my best or not, ALL I KNOW IS that I probably thought to be above tiny human things as making backups of my data!"

"Or saying that you are sorry or that you did a mistake" she says sitting on the boards, lifting her eyebrows, whispering.

"Besides, there was someone a bit obsessed in looking after her 10 years older brother who had the brilliant idea –Tony says looking mad Chris, again their fight of cat and dog on - of installing a shadow-program to do backups of my mind!"

"And that's the reason people says I'm the smart one, jackass! If you had talked with me, telling me what you wanted to do, we could have used that, but no, you have to go and do things on your own, and now we can't download it into your brain without risking killing you!"

"Why don't we focus on the here and now?"

"That's the design of the new armor _we_'d like to build; _I _developed it since Tony can't already access completely his great intellect since he is still under Blake's care…"

"We did develop it, and you are still under his care as well"

"Yeah, yeah, even if I did the majority of the work, and there's plenty of people who saw me working on it at night in the bullpen, _we_ did develop it, together - Chris continues, regaining control of the speech, projecting schemes of the new Iron Man, but, even with _his _financial resources gone, because apparently I've been the only that thought that saving money was a good idea, we still could built it."

"I care about our financial!"

"Yeah, and when Thor offered him part of the treasure of Asgard, he refused!" she says looking at Reed

"I want to make my fortune on my own!"

"I'm part of the family as well! It was our society, in case you forgot it, smart ass!"

"The money must be used for rebuilding!"

"I almost died for Asgard! And that's not even the real problem! – She turns again to Reed – when the investors arrived, do you know what he told them? He told them to spent millions to buy the RT so that they could gave free stuff to the world! Now, how do you think that billionaires react to something like that?"

"I told you that Stark Resilient is…"

"I know what you said, ok? And I'm not even mad at this, even if I'm pretty sure I'm contractually obliged to! – she cuts him off, and turns to Reed again, who's looking at the two 27 and 37 years old, behaving like 5 years old, stunned - The real problem is that the idiot didn't bother to ask for help, and, instead of cleaning only few sections of his mind, he wiped everything out, including the automatic functions."

"The repulsor tech rig has all the codes my body needs to work, and, at the same time, it gives my body the energy it needs to run as well, working as a sort of second heart. – he grins, smiling like an idiot, and part of Chris wonders if her brother is actually one, as smart as he can be – we started to eat meat because we needed more proteins to think more: we needed more power to get smarter, and to get more power we needed to get smarter. What I'm trying to say is that I have home-made star in my chest…"

"The more powerful he is, the smarter he gets, that's what he is trying to say- she looks at him with s smirk, then turns to Reed – he is telling you that he had to steal Pepper's repulsor rig to do to him what Mother nature did to me without human interference"

"Oh My God" Reed looks at them at open mouth, and, for a second, Chris wonders if he is actually talking about how they are (not) behaving or about what Tony did to himself.

"The idea is of using the suit to take advantage of the intellect and the dominion over mind of body, helping, at the same time, to rebuild completely the lost connections. – She looks at Reed, grinning happy and curios – and, no, it's not an upgrade to Tony Stark and Extremis. He'd like to work on that, though; it seems the world is ready for the application of my neuro-kinetic technology and skintech, but for now, that's simply a way to make them one again; the general idea is of injecting the necessary particles in his empty bones, and teach him how to modify them, a bit like I do with the instable molecules of my clothes, when I use my Telekinesis to modify them; this way, he should stop to get naked every time he has to put on his armor, since he'll be able to transform them into it."

"Chris, why looking at the watch? - Tony grins as they keep showing Reed everything they have, while she is, in fact, looking at the watch on her right wrist, impatiently - you don't happen to want to be at a certain ceremony in Washington, that Steve is attending, where there will be the whole MI 13 and your boyfriend as well?"

"Jackass"

"I'm not sure I approve, you know?"

"It's nice to know that, now that I'm approaching 30, you've decided to finally behave as a normal brother… - she looks at the screens again, while Reed keeps being amused by how normally they are behaving toward each other for the first time, arguing like any other pair of brother and sister, and then, turns on her heels and leaves the room, weaving goodbye with an hand – I'd like to remind you that you did approve, so you are going to approve again, that you want it or not. Besides, it's not like I'm go to do as you'll tell me, PLUS…"

"Plus, let's hear what this plus is…"

"Red and Sue like him!" she smiles as she runs away, tempted to play with her brother, to see if he'll try to chase after her – which he does.

_Washington, immediately after the Government Reception for the British Heroes, Steve Rogers attending, 16 PM_

"It's not only because the United Kingdome has been the first country to free itself from the Skrulls – Steve explains at the party, after the ceremony, while talking with the Foreign Secretary of UK and few members of the British team – you've been the first ones to embrace a new deal between super-heroes and government. In a certain way, what you made inspired us, and we're her to celebrate that."

As he talks, Faiza, the welder of the Excalibur, keeps staying, literally, in the Black Knight's shadow, whispering at him he insecurities.

"Do you think I can call him Cap? Or is it better Captain? Is it too formal?"

"I call him Steve" Dane grins, turning a bit towards her, while she hisses at him a bit, making an expression that says that she didn't like what he just said.

"I'm not going to say how I tell you. That'd be impolite"

"So, I've been told you finally got a steady job from Uncle Sam…" Brian is dressed with his Captain Britain uniform, and smiles at Steve Rogers, while they shake hands like old friends, or, given the circumstances, like comrades.

"Speaking of steady jobs…"

"Captain, I think you shouldn't ruin the mood just right now…- curled brown hair, crimson lips, golden eye shadow and almost no jewels if not the bracelet and a small crux, dressed with a knee-long red imperial dress that hugs her form perfectly and high heels, Chris walks in direction of the small group, coming from Steve's back – no until I received my dose of greetings…"

"Chrissie – her mere presence awakes Meggan, who jumps at her, in a state between tears and excitement, and starts taking without taking a pause that is one – Oh, Chrissie, we're so glad you're ok! We were so worried, I'm glad to know you're ok and you're fine, and it's always so good to see you again! You should have not disappeared like you did! What went through your mind? You should have called us to say how you were and…"

"Brian, I little help here? - She almost begs her former team-mate, clearly uneasy with this show of affection; her statement seems to make Meg aware of what she did, since the blonde lets her go – good, we were saying… I'm fine. I wasn't until few days ago, but, as you see, I got definitely better. How are you?"

"We're fine, and you should have called" Brian simply says, as he hugs for a brief instant Chris.

"I did, I talked with Pete. If he didn't debrief you, it's his fault". She says, crossing her arm, facing Brian, while Wisdom makes his way to her and puts an around her shoulders, grinning with that expression that's supposed to send women, but not her, head over knees.

"Oh, c'mon love, you know you can't stay mad at me for too long, besides, I'm not even sure…"

They are still talking, when Wisdom stops to talk with her where he is, hoping that he didn't just heard what he did.

"So, Brian, as I was saying, I've talked with Dane, said he'd be welcome,, will he come back, and I was wondering, how would you like to be an Avenger?" Yes, he has repeated the words in his mind, and he has, indeed, heard them right, so, he quickly "excuses" himself from his girlfriend's gasp and reaches Rogers and Brian.

"I don't remember someone mentioning this little diplomatic surprise to me" he said getting between the two of them.

"Well, it wasn't something I made the government part of, and besides, I just recently considered this option, and…"

"Oh, did you really? – Pete cuts Steve short, getting closer and closer, pointing a finger at him – Captain Britain's UK first defense against… well, everything, from magic to aliens, from vampires to Dr. Doom, and so on. For once, we did something on our own, like the aforementioned things I just listed, and you jump to nick it!"

"Pete, I think you should remember who's in front of you" Meg says, biting her lips, at Brain's back.

"He is the new boss, same as the old boss." He says coldly and sure of himself.

"Captain Rogers, let me introduce to Pete Wisdom, the head of MI: 13;- Chris says getting between the two of them, while they awkwardly shakes hands and Chris takes Wisdom for an arm- Pete, darling, that's Steve Rogers, world's top cop, former Captain America, he used to be the soul of the Avengers, and you'll be polite with him because, otherwise, you'll be grounded on the sofa for life."

As she says so, Pete doesn't even look at her, but turns his face to look at Brian in the eyes through the sunglasses; quite sure that he did registered the message.

"Well, Wisdom is right, I am UK's first defense, and I have responsibilities, and I'm afraid that I'll have to turn down your offer and…"

"Thank you very much, Pete! Hope you're proud of yourself, so good at manipulating my husband!" Meg screams in rage in his face, hands on her hips, forcing Pete to take a step behind, while both Dane and Faiza look at him at crossed arms, lifted eyebrows, and Chris laughs under her teeth.

"Oh, you know that something will strike soon! I'm just being professional! After all, didn't we stop the joined forces of Doom and Dracula just few months ago?"

"I think it's called being paranoid" Chris murmurs, trying to hide the laughs.

"Ok, ok, I got it, you bloody super-heroes! – he steps again between Captain Britain and Steve, looking again at Rogers – he says yes!"

"But, Pete, I thought you said…"

"No, Brian, I said you said yes, and the question is closed – at his side, Chris is almost dyeing, so much she is laughing – we can come to, I don't know, some sort of time-share agreement, like, jointed custody, just hope it doesn't get us killed otherwise…"

As Brian and Meg leaves talking with Steve, Pete crossed his arms, looking everywhere but his girlfriend, who's standing with a know-it-all expression in front of him, a hand on a hip and the other one on his chest "You know Wisdom, people can say what they like, but you, my dear, are nowhere near cynical enough…"

He doesn't look at her, who's playing with his tie, both hands on his chest now. "You knew he was going to ask Brian in. - he states, matter of fact, looking at her with the sunglasses, which causes Chris to look at him with a look that shows that she isn't really a know it all, because, for once, she isn't getting his point, while he, suddenly, directs his look towards her semi-bare legs– You know how much I enjoy the sight of your legs wrapped in a skirt"

"Sometimes you are such a pervert…" she says at low voice, a bit malicious.

"But you still love me. Besides, I don't remember you complaining about me complimenting your legs and your skirts when we were in San Francisco…" he kisses her neck, starting to rub her back, even if there's the red fabric between his hands and the object of his desire.

"Hands off, Wisdom" she demands when his hands start to wonder a bit too much, her yes telling a whole different story, though.

"We're not at MI 13, love…"

"But are in a public place, with an audience – as she says so, she looks at Brain and Meg and Dane and Faiza, embraced and smiling, happy and content together – are we this cute when we're together?"

"Love, we're not cute- he is so serious, and she is so disappointed and sad, that she misses the sudden change in his expression, how he grins, amused to the reaction he forced into her – we're as sexy and as hot as hell…"

"If I didn't have to talk with you about serious business, I'd rather die than having dinner with you after this terrible joke"

"Serious business, you said? Why do I feel like I'll not like it?"

"Pete, we just need to talk, ok?" she says, pretending to be serious and sad.

"I don't know why, I feel like this serious business will not be about a stunning brunette in nothing on her bed… - he pauses a little, pretending to be annoyed – Bloody hell, when you say "dinner" it's always in a public place, and I don't like when you have to wear too many clothes…"

"You're such a pervert…" she smirks, a bit malicious.

"Ehy, mind you, it's you the one who's dating me, so, who's the one to blame here?"

_Avengers tower, Chris Stark's apartment, 2 am_

"So, I was wondering… do I have to drag you back to bed with the force or are you going to join me willingly?" Chris is smirking as she says so, crossed arms, while Pete still gives her his back.

"I like the new costume. It suites you… the Avengers definitively have taste- Pete says as he leans against the baluster of the balcony of her apartment, admiring the skyline of NY, without turning to look at her, his black hair, not short as it used to be back in the days, moved by the chilly wind, blue eyes turned in direction of the woman who just shared her bed with him, a cigarette behind his right ear like to remind him of when he used to smoke and the shadow of a smile on his lips. – Bloody hell, I still believe that you are doing so well…"

"Yeah, well, I think I'm fine for someone who's been in a coma that they left for some reason known only to God himself. Besides, I'm too busy with rebuilding my own fortune and with hero-related business to think too much about near death experiences – Chris says, as she joins him, her hair still a mess and just a short, dark blue and gold silk robe on, leaning against the same baluster at his right, her back against the cold surface of the white marble, her look lost in the vast space, the world, the minds above her – I mean, it will take some time to get used to this. It's just…"

"I was worried for you, you know that, right?" he says, looking guilty and worried.

"You have your life, your work is your life, your work brings great responsibilities; and that's what you have, Pete: great responsibilities. - she crosses her arms, the wind moving her hair, talking calmly, an annoyed and yet amused expression on as she talks calmly and sincerely, not a shadow of anger in her voice – I'm not some kind of mademoiselle in distress, Pete, and I'm not naïve either. I knew it, I accepted it. I still accept it- she clarifies, still smiling. – Besides, when you thought I was dying, you were there to say goodbye, so, even if you had to come back after I woke up, it's like you've been there the whole time, you got it?"

He gets a little mad, as she says so, and murmurs something she can't understand, before to speak again. "It is better, isn't it?" he answers, looking in the same direction as she does, with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants; he, indeed, doesn't need to clarify what he is talking about – she gets it too well.

"Not that I've already experienced it that long but, yes, I think it will be different – she corrects him, removing a lock of hair from her eyes, turning in the same position as him, an unsure smile on – I don't know if it is going to be really better but… I know it will be. I knew it was going to the moment Captain America… Steve Rogers… called me Chris. Besides, with Tony and Clint and Logan and so many people I know in, I don't know, I'm starting to have this feeling, like I'm part of some kind of…"

"Yeah, I understand it, I mean, it's quite logical you feel at ease with them, like you belong together…like in a family."

"I'd say, a surrogate family, but you have the point. – she pauses, a locks of hair behind her ear as she still looks away from him, her voice turning into a whisper - You know, sometimes it scares me, and if there's something that can be told about me it's that I'm not easy to scare." she admits, out of the blue, looking at the streets, smiling a little.

"Yeah, being an Avenger could make this affect. I mean, look at my agents, all ready to leave me and join your little club…" he smirks as he says so, looking at her.

"I wasn't talking about it" Face to face, Pete's left hand finds Chris' right, the one she had put on the marble; they fingers laced together, Chris has never been so absorbed from something, like the process of his strong and rude fingers on her skin was a strange experiment, a process to study, something incredible.

"I know" he whispers, smiling, so low she isn't sure he is talking or using his mind, getting closer and closer, so close that she can feel the heat radiating from his body, his voice a harsh whisper, like he had just regained this gift after so long.

"It scares me – she says in the same voice, but more uncertain, almost scared, and everybody knows Chris Stark is fearless, but, with his body practically against hers, with his lips only inches from hers, his eyes studying her, cutting her, his face closer and closer, how could she not be scared? – It scares me how sometimes you understands me. And it scares me even more the effect that you have on me every time I see you, like we were polar opposites doomed to find each other and to be attracted to each other and…- she pauses, still looking at their laced fingers – it wasn't supposed to be like that… I didn't want to… but I can't help and I don't know… it's just that…"

"Being a hero, it suites you." He smiles at her, his lips on her hair, cutting her short from her motor-mouth mode.

"I don't need to be an Avenger to be a hero. I haven't really accepted Roger's offer yet, maybe I could turn it down and…- she pauses again – I'm so scared… I didn't think that I could eventually…"

"Fall for me" he says, smiling against her hair, almost laughing, and, if it's a joke, she isn't getting it.

"San Francisco was supposed to mean nothing…."

"If it really meant zero to us like we always said, than it's like nothing happened" he looks at her, smirking, remembering all those times, all the "I don't care" and "me neither" and even the "I hate you", shared nights of passion, during a time when her marriage was screwed and Alec was her husband merely in words.

"It wasn't supposed to be some…- she pauses again, taking a deep breath – I didn't plan to fall in love with you, and… I'm used to plan! But I miss us, and… and don't you think that I could be a hero anywhere? I don't need to be an Avenger to be a hero…"

"Yes, you do, you do now. – He takes her for the shoulders, making some distance, forcing the woman he shared his life and his bed with for more than a year with to look at him –you need to do this right now, because you need to understand where your heart and your true destiny lie. You need to understand how important you are, how great you can be once you'll allow yourself to. And I'm not going to take this away from you. I don't want you to have regrets, I don't want you to hate and resent me because I asked you to move away from this… we'd be ok for a while, but, if I'd ask you to follow me, you'll eventually resent me, in a day, a month, maybe few years…"

He kisses her, he _really_ kisses her, full lips, but not with lust, just need, his hands cupping the sides of her face, closed eyes, inhaling deeply, like to absorb her perfume, the unique scent that's a mix of roses, mandarins, lilac and Chris that only she possess, and, when it's done, she lets her head rest on his chest, a satisfied smile printed on her face.

"You know, I was thinking…- he starts, serious as he hasn't been in a while, the grip on her shoulders tighter, her glance worried as she looks into his blue eyes - weren't you saying something about dragging me back to bed?" And, before he could take her in his arms, bridal style, to bring the woman back to said piece of furniture while kissing her, in the street, Bobbi Morse and her ex husband/current boyfriend find in front of their feet a blue robe, fallen, apparently, from the sky….

Chris may have been awake for more than 24 hours, but it doesn't matter that much. This has been the first day of the rest of her life- a day that went rather well and has been rather normal – and, well, she still does have the rest of her life to make up for the missed sleep…

* * *

**next: **the messiah's coming back. Hope's not dead yet, and the future may be not brighter-or darker.


	43. X Men: Second Coming part 1

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

**spoiler alert: second coming story arc**

* * *

**_BLACKDRAGON ISSUE #41- SECOND COMING_**

_Utopia, yesterday_

"Are you here to stay?" It's just causal talk, what they are doing, as Madison holds her the piece of technology she needs – will need – to bring Tony back once and for all, now that Osborn is no longer in their way. They barely knows each other, they barely talked in the past. They weren't part of the same "unit". The only thing they have in common? They are both human – Mutant, two of the less 200 left.

"I'm sorry for your wife" Lily died few days ago, after Selene's attack on Utopia, after having made a Hell out of Genosha- literally. Chris is pretty sure he wasn't going to ask her to stay, why he should, after all (until few minutes ago, he was wondering why he couldn't understand the damn thing, since he has always been able to understand everything technologic), but he has her – better, Mr. Summers has her.

_You should. _A voice says in the back of her mind, as Emma shows herself in all her white glory, crossed arms at their backs. "but, maybe, now that you're one of Earth's Mightiest heroes, we're not good enough for you."

And, it's not like Chris wants to stay, it's just that…. It's the fact that 3 of her people died, and she wasn't there, it's that she has told summers what she can and can't do, it's that….

"Emma dear, I'm not some kind of twisted and sick emotional masochist, you know? - She faces Emma, same position, white against black, remembering the day they met, many, many years before, before Chris joined the X-Men, before everything… - I told you I was out, and I'm out"

"You said, and I'm quoting you, my dear…."

"I know what I said" Chris snaps, stopping the semi-smirking Emma to go any further.

"We need everybody. 1.5% of us died last week, and the baby could come back any moment - There's something in Emma's eye, something she has never seen before. Emma is… sorry? Begging? – And it's not just the causalities. Security and armaments to upgrade, structural damage to repair…"

Chris closes her eyes, fighting the urge to say something she knows she'll regret – although she is pretty sure she'll regret this as well. "In the long run, I can't promise anything. My priority is being an Avenger right now, and it's where I know I belong. You need me here today? Ok, we're cool; but about tomorrow, I'm not able to guarantee anything." _And, Frost… I'll not play any part in those little sordid schemes of yours and Scott's'…_

_"_Always full or yourself, aren't you, _Princess?"_Typical Frost, Chris thinks, using her nickname to make her feel small and inadequate – because Frost is a queen, and she is merely a princess, and just for her money.

"Don't push your luck too far, Frost. The first time I met you I've been full of myself, and so stupid to not be scared of you. But know? – Chris walks past her, grinning, a look that says that she is pretty sure she is able to win this one – now, although I'm still not scared of you, I know what my limits are. And you want to know something? – Chris stops, turning her face to see Emma, or, better, just her back – we're both omega class telepaths. We're both experienced. But, as today, you don't stand a chance against me." And with this, she leaves, grinning, proud of herself, not caring about how "hurt" in her pride Emma can be.

_Utopia, today_

She enters in the room in silence, like she has been trained, and doesn't even bother to look suspicious, scared or anything else, as she looks at Summers releasing all his tension in a single blast of energy that hits the ceiling of the room, sending it in million of small pieces.

"Well, I've always thought that window could be useful here…" she remains at the door, as he still gives her his back; she rests her back against the doorframe, crossed arms, looking at the sky she can now see, thanks to him.

"What do you want, Christine?" He closes his eyes, putting the ruby lenses back in place, not bothering to turn to look at her – he is merely acknowledging her presence.

Chris joins him at his side, and, as she lifts her right hand in the air, a screen of purple and orange energy appears in front of them; like it was a real screen, a touch screen, Chris touches it, multiply it, creating two other screens; in front of them, a visual of the world, showing less than 200 lights.

"I was scanning the world with Cerebra this morning, and few minutes ago something took my attention – she stops, as another visual of the world appear on another screen, increasing the dimension of the image in the area of the State of New York. - so, last week, there were 199 mutants left, counting the so-called "Mutant Zero" who was with the Initiative Black Ops Team. In said199 specimens, we used to count Cable as well. Let's count him out for a minute – the number goes to 198; last week, we had 3 causalities, that bring the number to 195."

"What the hell are you trying to tell me, Stark?" he messages his forehead, mad, obviously, and, for once, she isn't blaming him.

"I located the 196th mutant this morning" – she touches the spot where Westchester is, and a camera of the hammer Agency shows the place, in ruins by now, after almost a year of the X-Men being gone.

"A new signal?" he looks at the screens, hope in his now shining eyes, happy as she has never seen him before

"No, Cerebra had a match." As she says so, images of a man in his sixties appears on the last screen, like taken from a file about him, with indications about his whereabouts and a short bio. **NATHAN CHRISTOPHER CHARLES SUMMERS, AKA CABLE – LOCATION: XAVIER INSTITUTE, WESTCHESTER, NY.**

"Is he alone?" hands crossed at his back, Scott in now again in "world's greatest leader" mode.

"There's no trace of other mutant signals, but he'd never come back if she wasn't with him. Since Cerebra picked her for just an instant when she was born and then Hope went off the radar, my hypothesis is that she is still too young to manifest an actual power.- she pauses as the screens turn black and disappear – I'd like to be on the field. I've been with her when she was born. I went to the future to save her. I want to be on the field for this." she merely looks at him, standing, facing Scott. She isn't asking. She isn't begging. Chris is just telling him how things are. Whatever he likes it or not, she'll go to Westchester, with or without his permission.

"Assemble the Alpha Roster and tell them you are leaving in five minutes along with Magik, and tell Pixie that I need to debrief her"he pauses, he hasn't looked at her the whole time, he has just looked outside the "self-made" window, hands at his back. It's just when he finally ends his sentence that Scott looks at Chris in the eyes, serious, but scard as well. "There are good chances that someone else picked the signal as well. Be ready for anything, because there's people out there who'd bring hell to Earth to kill us all..."

_5 minutes later, outside the buildings_

"The Cuckoos say Cable's gone - Chris is dressed with the costume Tony gave her when she joined the initiative; differently from the old times, she isn't wearing a mask, but simply a pair of sunglasses with red lenses, the technological device that allows her to maintain a stable connection with Cerebra and to access any databank in the world, hank into any computer and control anything that could be described as electronic. – the way the signal disappeared, I'd say he is hiding."

"He is in trouble"

"They are in trouble, if she is really back" Kurt corrects him, coming closer to his leader and his former Excalibur team-mate.

"Cable would never come back without her" Chris says, without smiling – that's just a fact, a rather scientific one, knowing the man.

"Cable's brought her home" Scott, instead, does smile, and is quite happy and satisfied. She'd like to see things like him – after X-Factor has been to Utopia, he seems too optimistic, and if Scott Summers is more optimistic than Jamie was back in the "good days", it means that there's something wrong with the world.

"I just… I hope you're not seeing things that are not there… there's any evidence that "Hope" is our Mutant Messiah; and yet, you believe that she is here, and that she'll save us. I wonder why."

"For one year, no more mutants saw the light. Then, out of the blue, Hope was born, first and only. She is special, she has to be."

"You two have faith – Chris says as she joins Magik, Kurt walking at her side, Scott and Pixie at their backs – but… the evidences suggest that Hope may be the channel to fill the void left by Sc… - she stops, knowing that not everybody is aware of who actually destroyed mutantkind, and it may not be the brightest idea, considering that the father of said woman is in coma on the island, and is, in part, responsible for her doing – by M-Day"

_Xavier Institute_

"I almost forgot how we left this place – Chris' voice is a mere whisper, talking more to herself than to others, as she knees to give a better look at the armors on the soil, their smiling faces hunting the poor Pixie, who keeps defining the situation only as "creepy" – I don't like how things are turning out."

"What are those things?" Betsy kneels at Chris' side, and, as she puts a lock of dark hair behind her hear, she looks at the smiley armors.

"The right is a paramilitary anti-mutant zealot under the command of…"

"X, enough" Logan stops his child, while sniffing the air.

"People who hates us and wants to see us all dead" as she says so, Chris isn't looking at the others, but analyzing the suits of armor of the soil like a forensic officer, looking at both the metal and the people inside it.

"There's another scent, mixed with Cable's one. - Logan and Laura both say at the same time, looking in Scott's direction. - He brought her home"

Even if she is still kneeling on the soil, looking at small holographic images and pictures showed just in her brain, Blackdragon sees Scott smiling for a brief instant, before to turn serious again, the great fearless and stoic leader.

"It comes to this. Everything we've been through in the last year, every death, battle, tragedy… it's all for this moment and for this girl. Without her, we don't have a future. – he pauses, looking at each one of them in the eyes, not cold, his voice warm, and yet, despite the situation, warm – that's why we fought. That's why we become X-men. Hope. – he pauses, and turns towards the armors on the soil – I need a prevision"

"Cable's a soldier. Hostile forces are chasing him, and he is aware of that. He'll go to ground to lose pursuit. He'll want to get the lay of the land, and control the situation. Knowing him and how he'll react to such a treat, it will give us a certain advantage." She ends the speech, and, sunglasses on her head, pushing a strain of hair behind, she joins the rest of the X-men, hands on her hips.

"You find Cable and the girl. You bring them to Utopia, to safety."

"I've got something. Smells like sapien league, I'd say… 3 vans. Let's go."

_Few minutes later_

"Do you really need them conscious, Black – Logan asks as they appear on a highway, in front of the 3 quite old black vans – or can you do your tricks with them unconscious?" Logan's grinning as he is tearing apart, as Laura, one of the men of the league in one van, like Piotr with Magik and Kurt and Betsy, while Warren is dealing flying, patrolling the sky and Chris is building a "shield" to avoid other vehicles to get in the middle of the fight, while, at their back, a red jeep runs away, and they can only see a glimpse of a teen-ager red-head with an old man at her side.

"Who's behind them is smart – Chris says once the battle is over, standing on the soil close to one of the guys who was chasing Hope, skimming over his masked face – they've been infected with a particular form of the T.O. Virus, similar to the one that Brand used to bring back our dead ones, but it left them with enough free will."

"Have you got anything?" Logan asks her again, as he is lifting for the collar another guy.

"Betsy and I can't go through the anti-telepathy tech, and there are too much interference to use the technological codes in them, and something else I can't quite understand yet…"

"It means we'll do it the old fashioned way, maybe, since they've got a small amount of free will, self-preservation will take over… - two claws leave his right hand, on each side of the man's head – Now, I'll ask only once, and gently. How are you tracking them?"

"Go to hell, mutie. I'll die before I'd tell you anything."

"Are you sure?" he asks with a smile, turning to Laura, who, at his side, is threatening another member of the league in the same way.

"We'll kill you all" the man seems at loss of words, as steams of sweats leave his forehead- something made just worst by Laura, who kills his companion without hesitation, claws in his brain, the skull in pieces, fractured by a teen.

"Laura! What have you done?" Kurt appears in a violet cloud of sulfur, taking the teen for her wrists, teleporting her away from the dead body, just few meters.

"I just did what needed to be done" she calmly answers him, looking in to the elf's eyes, showing how she isn't bothered by her actions.

"Are you ready to talk now?" As he says so, his claws get closer and closer, allowing a tear of blood to leave the forehead of the man.

"I swear to God I don't know…. I don't know how he is tracking them… he just tells us where we're supposed to go…"

"Whom is he talking about?" Piotr asks, as he gets closer like the other member of the alpha team.

"What are you not telling us? – Bets says, looking at them a bit scared-What are you keeping for yourself?"

"He knows! – Kurt shouts in Logan's face, pointing at Laura – Cyclops knows what this is! And you do as well!"

"Not now, Elf" Logan isn't even looking at Kurt, just giving him his shoulder, while he still holds the begging man for the collar.

"I asked you a simple and straight question! I want to know what he is talking about, and what the hell is going on!" he keeps screaming, even when he takes Logan for the collar, after he killed the man, not to talking some sense into him, but to try to understand.

"Bastion - Chris answers him, at his back, calm and cold, despite how uneasy she feels right now, considering that Wolverine went all X-force on the man right now; and the feel, although she tries to mask it, doesn't go away when the team turns to look at her – since his defeat few years ago, Bastion's head has been in Shield's custody. But, few months ago, a mole killed the agents who were looking after it and stole is to combine him with what remained of Nimrod, although it seems to be bigger than this. Bastion, using the TO virus technology, was able to resurrect few elements, uniting a unique group…. Stryker, Lang, Trask, Hodge, Creed and himself… and they are tracking Hope and Cable as long as we have, probably using the knowledge of the future in his possession."

"And some of us have been trying to stop them the best we could, - Logan interferes, angry but resolute, facing Kurt - in ways not everybody's be thrilled about"

"Scott knew… Scott authorized it…. Hank knew…. you knew! –Kurt turns, and faces, still shouting, Chris, her dark eyes now closed and low, while Betsy is covering her face with a hand, a bit in shock – you know what? I quit. I don't know any longer who we are, who _you _are!" With those last words, he walks away from them, just to be stopped by another former team-mate from his Excalibur days, Piotr, who takes him for a shoulder, forcing the elf to turn to face him.

"The longer the girl is unprotected, the more blood will be spilled"

"Christine, I need… - he stops, correcting himself- I want to talk with Scott, right now"

_Scott - _he says as Chris skims over his forehead, her fingers barely resting on his temples – _Here is your Alpha Team- you know, the operatives everybody knows about?_

_Cable is going to be headed west-north-west from your position, at north of I-80. There are too many cities and people to the south._

_He'll use the forests for cover _Chris mentally explains them, analyzing the chances, before to say something only to Scott and Emma _Scott, Kurt wants to know about X-Force._

_I knew it was coming, but…._

_Scott -_Kurt interrupts the duo, still angry, wanting an answer an wanting it now- _did you sanction what Wolverine and his gang were up to?_

_Yes, I sanctioned X-Force. I gave them missions, I briefed them, monitored their accomplishments, cover up their existence, and I would do it again if I had to, and if you have got issues with my leadership, do not bring them up when you are in the field. You have to get the girl, and you have to get her here now. Once you'll be here, I'll allow you to tear my head apart. _

_I understand Scott, but I still…_

_Enough Now, Cannonball just located Hope and Cable. I'm sending you the location._

_Not so long after_

"Ok, old man, you can breathe. The good guys are here to save your ass once again! - Logan grins as he stabs a couple of purifiers at the back, one with each hand, facing Nathan and Hope – a teen, almost adult Hope – in front of him, guns in hands, ready to fire at Stryker and his people. – Magik, you bring the kid out of here. Black, the flames are yours to handle"

"Like I didn't know what to do… - she grins, hands on her temples, as she concentrates, a violet aura, similar to a sphere, shielding the flames, suffocating them: there's no longer time to keep at a minimum the destruction, but there's still time to avoid innocent people to get involved, and that's what she is going to do, because, although Scott said otherwise, the only reason she signed with the X-men in the first place was to help people; she is still thinking about it, too lost in her own thoughts, when she feels fear and panic and physical sufferance coming from someone close, projected directly into her being – Logan? There's something wrong with Magik! I lost track of her!"

"Kurt, Hope's yours! – Logan continues as he keeps hitting the enemy – they're ready for us, we've to cut off Stryker!"

"Who's no longer really alive" Chris explains, as she stops her work on the flame to concentrate on the "soldiers" of the revered, a sword-like psychic object in her hands as she hits as many as them as she can, sending their neural system in overload, as Piotr is making his way towards Stryker, sending the purifiers in the air –literally- making the "man" panicking, as Hope and Cable quickly run away in the same red jeep.

_Scott, Hope isn't secured. Our Location is hot and we lost them… Nate seems to think that running away is the best way to protect both us and the girl._

_You have to end the fight as fast as you can…_

"Boss, the chief has given the order to end this as fast as we could."

"It means that it comes to Warren –Logan says as, back at back with Chris, claws and a psy-blade, he looks up in the sky at Warren, a serious and sorry look, like giving the silent order that the angel immediately understands, shifting into a metallic and dark-blue creature, is killing him inside – Black, tell the others to stay low, and shield them if necessary."

"It's going to be carnage" she says, tightening her teeth, mad, thinking that the reason she left the X-men was because she didn't know who they were any longer, and that she has done the same mistake again, trusting Scott.

"It is war - Logan coldly says, as they look at Warren – Archangel – killing the last purifier with his metallic feather, his pale skin now dark blue, his once shining eyes cold and dark – tell Cyclops the purifiers are down, but that Kurt has been hit as well."

"Ariel's coming, and Rogue is with her. Scott says she is connected to Hope, somehow. It seems she picked her thoughts." Chris is a cold as Logan had been just a minute before, as she reaches the others near a "door" that appeared out of nowhere, a purple-haired woman coming out of it, followed by Rogue.

"And it's possible? Or do you think that Scott is having too faith?"

"Rogue was in a coma, with no chance of coming back. Then, Hope touched her, and she woke up. I'd say the chance of a bound between them is pretty high. It's possible that Rogue… - she stops in front of the two newcomers, still talking coldly without facing Logan – somehow created a sort of connection with Hope"

"Well, if it's true, you're a sight for sore eyes, Rogue – Logan says as he welcomes them, without giving them a proper welcome, though – Bastion has found a way to track them, while all we can do is following the carnage, and we're running on empty"

_Hate when you quote me _Chris thinks, looking around at the destruction they're leaving behind, focusing on the mess that has become of Kurt after he has been hit by whatever Stryker used to hit them.

"Nein, we saw empty waving goodbye this morning" the elf says, massaging the back of his neck, and Chris fights the urge of smiling, since, like when they were younger, in Excalibur, Kurt is trying to maintain the appearance, even if he doesn't agree with how they are dealing with the situation and is hurt.

"Kurt, take Rogue. Jump until you find the girl. We'll follow you as long as we can…."

"Why not Ariel?" the elf asks, rubbing the back of his neck, obviously still in pain.

"Ariel uses physical doors, shifting them into sub-quantc passages. If we're out in the open, she can't work her magic" Chris explains to her friend. She knows Kurt, and he is one of the people she cares about the most in the whole damn world; she knows the pain he is in, how hard for him is to keep up, going on, and it kills her a little, but she knows there are no other chances, that it's the only thinks to do, and that smile is no longer there.

"Ariel's our back-up, and she has to stay with the alpha team; we need to shift, if we don't want to see those guys stealing another… - before he could actually end the sentence, Rogue grabs Kurt for his right shoulder, and they both disappear in the usual sulfured violet cloud - yard on us"

"NO!"

"Chris? What the hell?" As soon as Chris screams, her sung-glasses end on the floor, fuming, emitting flash of electric static, as blood leaves both her eyes and her nose, falling in small drops on the soil, like she does, falling on her knees, hands on her temples, crashing her skull, like it could erase the sudden pain. – God, God, God… Massive psyonic feedback… hurt that much only once… Cerebra screamed…. Screamed so loudly that I could hear it from here… she shut down... have to...have to…"

"Damn…. Emergency shout-down – Logan knees on the soil close to her, his right hand pressing against the back of her neck, while he holds the woman with his other arm, ready to take her when she'll shout herself down when he'll press said point – system reboot… - still holding her, her unconscious head on his shoulder, he uses the claw in his right to cut what's left of the white shirt, leaving her only in the black vest, lifting it a bit to touch another point, this time on her spinal cord, an action she answers to opening her eyes a little, makingthem shine like lights turned on in the dark, but still half-unconscious, the reason he has to take her in his arms to bring her to the vehicle, previously used by the purifiers, that they are going to sue to follow Hope and Cable and Kurt and Rogue – she'll be back in no time""

"_Can walk on my own, you know, bud? - _She whispers, her head on his chest, shouting close her eyes, hating the light coming from the sun, too strong for her own taste, at least right now – _I'll coming back on-line in no time, like you said…"_

_Hours later, 3 countries from destination_

"Ariel, does your power work on car doors as well?" Chris is still at closed eyes, sitting in the back of the black SUV, her right hand against her temples, desperately trying to fight the damn headache that the feedback caused.

"Are you again on line?" Logan asks her from the wheel, his knocks white.

"Something's in the air, a distortion field, I guess. Don't like it a bit, Coming in our way high and fast." Chris is able to say, although her voice is still a mere whisper, sounding like she has just regained the gift of sound after days.

"Warren says they fired something at us!" Logan screams, trying to avoid the fire, as Ariel curses a way too openly for Chris' taste, as Logan suddenly stops with too energy, and, last thing she knows, she feels hot and burning.

Then, she opens her eyes again, and she is on the soil, outside a burning car; her costume is in pieces, her skin lacerated in more than one point, and she has few burns, and she has never felt so bad before, but the feeling she has while she woke up from the coma, she is feeling it again, she is feeling like liquid is flowing on her whole body, like she could be better, improved… like she just come back again.

"Ariel didn't make it. We keep going – Logan says resolute as he helps her to stand, Piotr at her side as well– we don't leave them win, and we wait for payback time…"

_"Know where to hit us, who we have. Cutting down our teleporter… Magik is gone, Ariel's dead, and Kurt can barely do it… we're blind and we're lame…" _she says massaging the back of her neck, semi-closed eyes, still helped by Piotr.

"No matter what the cost is, Kurt will bring the girl to safety…"

_"Never doubted it for a sec… knew the elf a way too long to do such… so sorry for Ariel… the attack took me by surprise… I think I shielded while I was going through the glass out of reflex, didn't even do it on my own… couldn't… - _She looks at the soil, eyes closed and low, just whispering, fighting back the tears that she isn't supposed to cry right now, tears that she'll cry as soon as this will be over – Emma… she is saying something…. It still hurts to use my telepathy, but…she says… Beta team got how they are tracing them… Nemesis and Jeffries are tracking them in the same way, now that we know where we're supposed to look… sending me the coordinates right now… they say that Rogue has it right, thought…"

_Much more lately-Outside Indianapolis_

"Not like you to not have an exit, old man" Logan isn't smiling as, few hours later, they face Hope and Nate, after yet another bloody battle against Purifiers and Co.

"He had at least 7 exists - Chris points out, leaning against a rusty car, her psy-blade still shining in her hands _And you are a way older than him. –_ besides, he didn't know how they were tracing him, he thought there was a mole in the X-men, and that we were the one tracking them in the first place."

"They use their TO virus to track you" Logan explains.

"Like calls to like" Chris ends the sentence, bracing herself a little, looking at Hope again, for the first time after months for the telepath, and years for the redhead, feeling a glimpse of what Scott and Kurt have…Faith.

"There's no reason to go soft on him. They could count the hair on his chin, and he didn't have a plan B"

"Of course I did, Logan - For the first time, Chris takes time to look at Nate. Not only he looks a way older than when he left the present, but he is… a mess. The virus has taken the best of him, he is more metallic than human, and the part of his body that were actually artificial are a disaster; With Forge and hank gone, she takes mentally notes to be the one to look at him, when it will be over.- they are tracing her through me. If we're not together, they can't know for sure where she is."

"Deal's done, then. The elf takes her end bring the girl back to Utopia, and I want Rogue with them – she is the only one who can track Hope, if something goes wrong. It means you'll have to absorb our powers before to go – metallic skin, wings, telepathy, data analysis, healing factor, claws… everything"

"Let's go, then - Hope says, taking Kurt and Rogue's hands –the sooner, the better"

"I'm blind – Chris says to Logan, as, few minutes later, the reinforcements of the enemy arrive, looking around herself like it could actually help, still feeling sore, but still shielding as many bullets as she can – communications are down. We've lost contact with everyone. It's a bad sign. I'd say they are ready to attack Utopia as well"

"Who are these people?" Warren seems to hold back, something unusual for the Archangel, messenger of Death of the Apocalypse.

"It doesn't matter!" Strangely enough, it's Piotr the one, who seems to be full of anger and ready to do everything in his power, and, differently from Chris, he isn't trying to take prisoners.

"X and Bets took down the birdie" Chris says as the battle calms down, reaching Logan and Cable.

"Piotr just cares about getting his sister back"

"Bastion is sending everything he has after us. Or he believes we still have Hope…" Chris looks at the two men, but turns just towards Nate. For some odd reason, she doesn't know if she'll be able to face Logan again, to look at him in the same way she used to.

"I'd not count on that - the soldier says, crossing his arms, lost in his own thoughts. – what's the other possibility you were contemplating?"

"Well, we have to remember that both bastion and Nimrod come from the future, we may assume that they possess certain knowledge of the events, events that we're living for the first time…- She pauses, looking at Nate first and at Logan then, just to turn towards the rest of the team, taking a deep breath, unsure of what's waiting them - what do we do now?" she asks them, her arms crossed like Logan and Nate's, as she looks for a moment at the dead bodies around them.

"Now, we go back to Utopia…"

* * *

**next: **the messiah's second coming-part two of three. Secrets are revealed, teh dark side hidden by the light finally will be seen, and nothing will be the same for the x-men. In a certain sense, it's the end of them as they know themselves...


	44. Blackdragon Annual 2010: Origins

Disclaimer: last time I checked, I didn't own the Marvel Universe or the Top Cow one.

Spoiler alert: none

Notes: the events of this story take place AFTER the end of the Second Coming Storyline-even if it doesn't contein spoilers about it. Supposed to fill the gap between Siege Finale and Age of heroes concerning few thematics...

* * *

BLACKDRAGON ANNUAL 2010: THE SECRET HYSTORY OF THE ORIGINS OF THE BLACKDRAGON

_New York, today…_

"So… what do you feel?" As they walk alongside the streets of Manhattan dressed in civil clothes, Bobbi keeps asking Chris the same question over and over and over… and while Jessica Drew can't help but grin and laugh under her teeth, Chris is, frankly, a bit annoyed and bored by Bobbi's continuing questions.

"I'm fine, ok? I've never been better. I'm an experienced super-hero with a position among the Avengers ranks, even if I haven't officially accepted yet. Life's good. Life's never been better, for the last time, ok"

"Well, to be honest, I was talking about, you know… that other thing…- she says with a mortified expression. – you know, the almost dead scenario…"

"Oh, that, well… I'm fine, I guess. For someone who's been in a coma and was as good as dead and has practically been resurrected without any apparent reason…" Like it was the only problem; Chris prefers to avoid telling them, even if they probably already knows, since both Logan and Beast know, that the same forces that brought her back from the death once did the same thing again, while she was fighting Bastion's forces. She keeps dying, she keeps being resurrected, and she feels something, like a whisper in the back of her mind, and every time she is close to something or someone who's mystical, she feels... weird is the only word she can think of, but it doesn't even start to describe it.

"And… how do you feel about THAT other thing? Are you excited? Because you've always wished to be part of the big games and now you are part of the big game and…"

"Bobbi, as much as I do love you, and I probably love you as much as a sister, you ask me again how I feel about being an Avenger, and I'll hurt you badly, did you get it?" Chris says, stopping and turning a bit to face Bobbi at her right.

"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning…" Bobbi is grinning a bit evilly and maliciously as she starts to walk again, leaving Chris few steps behind; the brunette billionaire hurries up and reach them, taking place, this time, at Morse-Barton's right, leaving the blonde in the middle.

"Ok, I lost something, what did that damn bloody expression mean? Because I didn't like it a bit…" Chris crosses her arms, and this time, she is clearly annoyed.

"She means, you date Pete and her and Clint bet about you and the boy sleeping together…" Jessica explains, almost laughing, always the same expression on, while Chris looks at Bobbi at open mouth, almost disgusted.

"The whole world knows that Wisdom and I do everything but sleeping – she says with a malicious face, knowing how it will affect Bobby how open-minded she can be sometimes- Geez, it's not like it is a secret we're an item!"

"We were talking about, you know, the other Pete, the one who lives here in New York…" Jess smirks, again that damn expression on her face.

"Once – Chris says lifting her right index, frankly annoyed more by this that the whole "How do you feel about being an Avenger" or "how do you feel now that you are out of the coma" told 50 times – I dated him once, and it went bad. We may hang-out sometimes, but we don't go out together. I don't like him that way! Please, he isn't my kind of man! He is, he is… - she struggles to find the words – too openly a gentleman to go out with me! And I'm back with Wisdom!"

"Wasn't it twice? I mean, I thought that time when Deadpool showed up the two of you were out on a date…" Jess says at Bobbi, like Chris wasn't there.

"We weren't together! – Chris almost screams as she answers to Jessica – He was attached by Wilson, and I happened to be around! Besides, technically speaking, as I already told at least twice just today, I'm still with the other Pete, _**Wisdom**_!"

"Sure, and I buy it…" She smirks.

"I'm one of the most powerful telepaths of the world, you know? – Chris smirks – Of course you know, you are the one who always repeats it!"

"I don't get your point"

"You should talk with Emma Frost; it's something I've learned from her. Well, not directly, but something that she did, give me the idea..."

"I still don't get your point, Chris, and it resolves around your supposed boyfriend"

"The top of sphinx, the moon, a small hill covered with green glass and spring in the middle of nowhere, a private seaside in California... and we're talking only about this week... – she pauses, malicious and amused, desiring to make Bobbi feel a bit like she did at the beginning of the conversation, but, again, as she told Pepper and Maria few weeks before, she has been raised as a Stark, and it means something - since I'm the great telepath than you claim I am, for both me and Pete it's as real as we were really together, even if it's "only" on the astral plane; obviously, for me, controlling the physical reaction of my body it's quite easy, but sometimes I find it quite difficult, so, even if sometimes I indulge in such activities while Tony or someone else is boring me to death, I prefer to do such when I'm all alone on my own, so that I can give up to my animal instincts..."

"That's a real Stark, people, the feminine equivalent of Tony... I bet that your plan was to embarrass me from the very beginning" Bobbi smirks at her, while the 3 women still walk; a moment later, she falls in silence as she looks at Chris: the scientist has stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, like in some kind of "trance", and is arching her eyebrows, like thinking deeply about something.

"Chris, are you ok? What do you feel?" This time, to make the hideous question is Jessica, who looks at the black eyes, at how they seem lost… or maybe… how far away they are looking…

"Oh, yes, I just forgot that I had an appointment today… I… - she smiles a little, again embarrassed, as she again scratches the back of her neck – I forgot I had an appointment with my personal shopper… you know, my clothes, the expensive ones, went all lost in the last few months and I need something new and… you don't mind coming back to base without me, right? Besides, I still have coffee with Tony this evening, to work on his new armor, you know... it's not a problem, right?"

"You kid? Anyway, today you were too boring, better without than with you!" Bobbi says while waving goodbye with her right, as Jess does, too.

"Ok, good, see you later!" she says, still smiling, as she makes few steps back and reaches a small shop in alley, and, tentatively, opens the door, even if the card says "closed"…

"Hello? Is anybody here? – She says as she walks in the corridor of what is a place that's bigger than what it seems, full of the most antic articles, while skimming over few of them,– what the hell is this place?"

"You found your way here, you tell me"

Again, Chris jumps, this time literally making her hit a vase and breaking it as it falls on the ground, and when she turns, she sees an old man, oriental, dressed in an old Chinese way, white long beard and moustaches, long as well… somehow, he remembers her of the mandarin, and she wonders how she missed it, his presence.

"Yeah, well…Ehm… I didn't think anybody was here and… sorry, I'll repay you of it."

"It will not necessary for you to reimburse me, Christine Antoinette –he pauses, smiling – sometimes, you know, those who come here are unaware of what they need, or what is meant for them."

"I know what I'm doing here… at least, I'm quite sure. - Chris crosses her arms and lifts her eyebrows as he takes something from a box on the pavement - I'm not exactly a celebrity, and even if my identity is publicity known, I'm a plain person; not everybody remembers me… actually, almost no-one remembers that, under the mask, there's this face… I'm wondering how you know my name, my full name, even, since I didn't tell you. – She smirks a little – maybe we'd better start with you telling me yours, since we already met."

"Oh, and I thought you didn't remember me…" he says, giving her his back and moving towards few books.

"You were in my hospital room. I was dying, but you… I… I felt your presence there, and few minutes later… I was more than fine."

"I'm simply the shopkeeper, but… many people call me the curator. I watch over things, and people, and no, you didn't tell me your name. - He says, smiling. – But the real question is not who I am, but who you are… what you are and what you could be. These are the answers you are looking for, yes?"

"Well, that's the reason I'm here. when you come to visit me, you put this on my wrist – she says showing him the item, still on her right wrist, a middle-age looking like bracelet with a black stone in the centre – and I'm sure that it's not a replica like the old one… that's the real deal, that's my mother's bracelet, the one she had when she passed away. – She pauses, looking at him resolute and cold, hoping to be able to scare him - I want answers. I want to know, how the hell did you find it? Where do you come in possession of this only piece? And mostly… what the hell is exactly this… whatever it is? It's… I know it will sound crazy, but I'm positive that it's… whispering… I mean, I've never come here, but it… it guided me here, and… - she pauses – please, tell me I'm not crazy, just, that, okay?"

"Listen to it. They have a story to tell you." He says, quizzically.

"So, it's… it is true? It's… living?"

"Listen to it, child, it has a story to tell you... something you'd wish to know from a long time..."

Hearing his warm, placid voice, Chris closes her eyes, and her mind flies away, where the man is guiding her, right at the beginning of the journey, a journey that isn't her own, but, at the same time, it is...

_Somewhere on Earth, at the dawn of mankind_

The place is the mystic kingdom of Avalon, banished from Earth at the beginning of the times from mighty magical forces, and only accessible at ,and thanks to, them; the time, is the dawn of mankind, when the primal forces of magic and creation and destruction ruled, a time that people now doesn't understand completely, a time for too long forgotten, in which legends, myth and truth are only one thing.

"The war will be soon over…My Mistress is young and strong..." A voice comes from across the shining waters of the lake, once shining of an emerald light, but that now spotted by the ruby blood of the fallen ones and what was once clear and quiet, is now dark and in tumult. No one seems to speak, there's no one around, it's like the voice comes from the waters themselves. Suddenly, when a crow planes on the white sands full of bones and skeletons of the many heroes who have fallen, an enlightened and evanescent figure emerges from the lake. It seems a woman, not so young, maybe 40-45, but it's not woman, at least, not a human one, because the creature seems to be made of the same water she emerged from. She stops in front of the dark bird, who becomes a new being, reveling its true nature; now two identical women, one dressed in blue with angelic white wings, the other one in black with devilish ones,, stand in front of each other; for many centuries people will call them The Lady of The Lake and Queen Mod, although it's not who they are, because what they are is older than the two creatures- they are fragment of two entities ancient maybe like the world itself, emissaries of dark and light.

"While, instead, My Lord is in no shape to survive, and he didn't produce a mail heir so that the mantle could be passed on"

"The fate of this plane of existence is no longer in our hands, but in the bearer's ones; but the offspring of our masters is young… and, as the final battle approaches, I can see that she'll fail. The Trinity will be broken, and the world will end, consumed by the light of the Angelus…"

"The balance isn't our affair... we are mere emanation of the Darkness and of the Angelus"

"If the Darkness will die, you'll die with him; will the Darkness cease to exist, the world will die, and, with it, the Angelus Warriors will perish as well. – she turns and looks at the sea, crossed arms – as you see, it does concern us."

"Tell me, Angelus Warrior, what can you offer me, a creature of the dark?"

"The truth is, we are doomed. There's no way we can survive, we are already lost. But there's something we can do something. Something that will allow a fraction of us to survive until the end of the days, when the keeper of the Rapture will decide which one of us will gain possession of this realm."

"I'm willing to listen to you. But, remember: it doesn't mean that I'll do as you please. I'm still a child of the darkness, after all." The dark figure turns her head in direction of the blue one, the hated "sister" she fought with for so many centuries, as thousands and thousands of crows fly around the ghostly image.

"It's time to stop to fight a war that begun so long ago that we already forgot why we begun it in the first place. It's time to join forces to help the balance to maintain his power and its existence. We need a Champion..."

"A champion, a herald, a bearer of our power and strength…"

"We'll fuse our powers and our lives in a new artifact, as light and dark did in the past, when they created the digitabulum."

"You spoke about a way to survive, but in this way, we'll only die before our time."

"We're doomed. There's no way we can survive, we are already lost. This is our only way to survive... This way, at least, part of us will survive."

"If we are going to do it, than I have to put some conditions…"

"Tell me your conditions, and then, I'll see. After all, as you can't trust an angelus Warrior, why should I blindly trust you, a darkning?"

"The first one is that I want to choose our champion. You see, there's a princess who has learned the way of the sword and of the war. She is young as the bearer of the digitabulum, but she is strong, proud and fearless."

"If your words are true, then I agree with you, she may be a reasonable choice. What's your other condition?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you have to know it, yet. As I'm having faith you, you'll to do the same with me. For now…" Both creatures walk in direction of each other, and, once they are one in front of the other, when their skins are almost touching, the hands of "Mod" touch the "Lady's" ones. In an ocean of flames and light, an evanescent sphere appears, and few seconds later it takes the form of a bracelet with a black gem at its centre.

"It will be called the Endacrion… the tears of the Gods, because that's what we are for the human. It will save someone, and kill others. It will transmit the knowledge from barrier to barrier, and it will make them our daughters, offspring of the Darkness and the Witchblade."

"For now, as the Endacrion is born, we find our final rest after so many centuries of war…"

"…And for now and the future, Asteria and her progeny are our champions…"

As they finish speaking, the jewel starts to pulse of life, and they disappear, assimilated from the black gem itself….

_New York City Few Years ago_

Running is one of the things she like the most, running is one of the things that help her to keep all the bad thoughts far away from her, and so, Sara Pezzini runs, in the streets of the Village where she lives, enlightened by the not-already-7 o'clock in the morning sunshine, as she peacefully listens to her IPOD to some hard rock music, and her mind flies a mile away, thinking about the apartment she is entering in, where, in the bedroom, Gleason is sleeping, near the bed of a small girl she immediately approaches, taking the little one in her arms, caressing her back, pacing tender kisses on her forehead, making her play with a transformed Witchblade, as she seats on the bed near the man she is going out with from a whole year now.

"Captain called. Waiting for you to come back home. We're needed somewhere for a weird case. I called Dani. She is Already on the road." He tells her, more asleep than awake, laying on his chest, looking in her direction, as he feels her presence at his side, smiling at _his Sara, _his marvelous, sweet, beautiful Sara.

"Well, Hope, it seems that today you'll have to deal with Dani, instead of your mummy, because I have to follow some weird psychos..."

_A former church in the East Side_

"So, doc, what are we dealing with this time?"

Sara, dressed with shirt and jeans, is the first one to approach the coroner, who's examining from 7 to 10 bodies; the crime scene is bad, that it's difficult to say.

"Various parts of bodies, I still have to understand what belongs to whom. But one thing I can tell you for sure: they've been disassembled and eaten when they were already dead."

"Eaten as in cannibals? Is that what you mean? Then, why bother us? Wasn't better call the Behavior Analysis Unit, or the Special Victim Unit, or Major Crimes?"

"Because it's quite strange; you see, the Crime Scene Unit already took some mounds. Look here – he tells the duo taking an arm in his hands, and showing it to them – look at the tooth mark. The size is of the human dental arch, but the form… it seems like it belongs to a dog, or a wolf, more probably, even a coyote. And it's not the only strange thing: there's no blood around the teeth mark, do you see it? "

"I'm in the Police from almost 17 years; I know that, if there's no blood, it means that, whoever did it, it did it when this one was already dead..."

"yes and no, Gleason. The fact is, it's not that the blood wasn't running when it was disassembled, the fact is that there wasn't blood at all."

"So whoever did it, they killed and disassembled the bodies somewhere else. It's to clean here for…"

"No, we've already have the evidences that, whoever did this, it did it here. But before to do it, they took all their blood away."

"Ok. We've seen the crime scene. See you soon doctor, call us when you'll have other news." They are already outside the gothic style big church, when the Witchblade starts to murmurs something is Sara's ears, guiding them in direction of a nearby alley, where, at the end of the small streets, they see a figure, the silhouette of a woman they can't see in face, or clearly, because the sunlight is at her back. Instinctively, Sara comes closer, as the figure does the same; at the end, they are just a couple of feet distant, and in that moment, a strange feeling invades Sara, and, suddenly, the Witchblade starts to change, like it was feeling something coming from the more or less 30 years old red-head, dressed with black jeans and a gipsy style white shirt, who's wearing a yellow gold catholic crux at her neck, along with a small bottle in miniature. . When she sees Sara's digitabulum changing, she just smiles.

"Stay away from this thing, leave us handle the case, it's not work for you. Believe me, you don't want to interfere with us, bearer."

"Sorry sweetheart, but I normally don't let strangers interfere with my work. You know police procedure." A mean smile appears on Sara's lips, as she speaks, putting the Witchblade- now transformed into a blade – in front of the girl, ready to attack; she does it just to prove something at her adversary, but when she does, in a blink of an eye she remains speechless, when she feels something coming from the girl's middle-age bracelet: the thing is changing, becoming a sword as well, as something that seems wings, although immaterial, appears at her back.

"You should say hi to the Endacrion, bearer." A she haven't already end to speak, she attacks with the sword Sara, forcing her against a wall cutting her clothes, making them in pieces; but the fight doesn't last long, because the Witchblade starts to attack, and it's a face to face fight, with blood, cuts and pieces of clothes everywhere. When the blades are at each other's gut, they suddenly changes to their "civil" forms, coming back to the bracelet form, and, where once stayed the owner of the so-called Endacrion, now stands two masculine figures, who shout at the girls at the same time; their voices sounds like full of rage and disappointment.

"Curator!"

"Teacher Marcus!" Both Sara and the redhead, still at the soil after their fight, look in direction of the men, astonished, surprised, and their mouths speak at the very same time.

"Come with us." The man called Marcus tells them, as he already giving them his back.

"We need to tell you a story….we need to tell you all. Bearer, we'll need to tell it to the other half of the whole."

_The Curator's shop, later_

"So, you are telling us that the guy we've to investigate on, it's not a guy, but a pack of, a pack of…. – Gleason stares at the whole group near him, with hands covering his face, a little not in shock, because it's not the exact word to describe his feelings now, but like he has been hit by something he didn't see coming – Ok, please, can you repeat the whole thing again? Because, although I've seen all the possible kinds of weird things since I met Sara, I've never seen something like that, so, please, just to be sure I got it right, rewind and repeat."

"It's a pack of hybrids, half werewolves half vampires, we call them, don't smile or laugh, "were-vampires" we thing they are migrating, we're not sure why they are doing this, but they left the Transylvania more or less a year ago, moving across the entire Europe; we think they took a ship from the port of Marseille, and landed here, but we doubt that New York is their final destination – the woman, Marion, is at the centre of the Curator's shop, and it's not allowing people end their sentences; she looks at them, at crossed arms, not impatient, no she isn't impatient, she is just upset to be there, forced to work with people she normally doesn't work with : two police detectives, a wannabe dancer they know nothing about, a man just known as "The Curator", a man who owns just too many dangerous mystical artifacts in his shops (and a couple of them she knows them well enough to know how dangerous they are ) – listen, I don't know what you think, and, frankly, I couldn't care less, but I believe it's better if you let us handle this thing on our own. The council works with thinks like that something like twice a day, from the dawn of mankind."

"Maybe I don't own any mystical artifact like the majority of you, but, from my point of view, _you_ were the ones who let those guys walk across Europe and America for _more than a year _and then let them escape right under _your_ nose. Maybe we could, I don't know, join forces. After all, 3 Witchblades are better than one, right?"

"Detective Gleason, Marion doesn't have a Witchblade…. Wait a sec, Witchblades, as, in plural? You mean that, at the moment, there are 2 Witchblades at the same time? - the man called Marcus, a man in his fifties, grey beard and hair, stops and stares astonished at the blonde girl in front of him and then at Sara and her kid, realizing what information the male detective just gave him. He goes, astonished and wordless, near the bearers, who're sitting one near the other, making the little Hope plays with "toys" transmuted from their bracelets – I thought it wasn't possible…. I thought there was just one and only… that the balance couldn't be divided…"

"More than 10 years ago, the Witchblade contacted me, while I was dying. "He" saved my life. Then, a couple of years ago, when I was pregnant of my daughter, I decided to pass it to someone else in order to protect the life of my still unborn child, and the Witchblade choose Dani. But when the labor started, the forces of the Angelus attacked me to take her. I was dying again, I don't know, maybe I was already dead, but when Dani came closer to me, half of the Witchblade went on my wrist, and there it remained. – she says showing them her wrist – now that you know why there are two Witchblades, you can tell us how you are intrigued with these…"

"They are called, again, Were-vampires. The council of the Endacrion fights them from the day the saw the light, centuries ago, from unknown motives – we assume they could be the result of some weird and crazy experiment made by the vampires. It's what we do; we fought all the supernatural menaces from the day the council was born." It's Marion the one starting telling the story of the council, but then it's Marcus the one who takes the word and finishes the story.

"Millennia ago, we're not sure when, where, why and how, the forces of light and darkness joined forces, creating the Endacrion, Marion's artifact. The first bearer of said weapon was nicknamed the Blackdragon, as her followers 'till now, and created a council around her, in order to teach our children the way of the sword against our enemies."

"When you said that you teach your children, you mean that…" as she realizes what exactly Marcus means, Sara hugs her daughter stronger than ever.

"It is how the members of the council are chosen, by legacy of blood. The same Endacrion Marion wears, has been passed on to her by her Mother, Tanya, who received it by her mother, who received it by her own mother and so on until the beginning of mankind."

"Sorry Boss, but now that we've done with all our family stories, can we, please, discuss the real business we're her for? I'd like to came back to the main topic, the one where we discus about the were-vampires, thanks."

"Ok, it's not a problem for me. You just have to tell us where to find them." Dani enters in the conversation; in her tone they detect worry, it's true, but they can see how brave the girl is in her deep.

"The Endacrion will follow the trail; once we've found him, we'll find the others as well." Marion caresses her bracelet, at crossed eyes, to remark her words.

"Who the hell is this he and what are you not telling us?"

"See, Miss Pezzini… the were-vampires' leader is one of their latest addictions, a man called Drake Asterson. He was… once a time, he was one of us. See, when Marion's mother died, the Endacrion had to chose a new "host"; Marion was barely a teen at the time, and, even if the Endacrion belonged to her or her younger sister, our people didn't thought that they could handle the pressure. "

"My mother's older brother, Arthur Asterson, had always wanted the Endacrion for himself, and couldn't accept that, just because my mother was a female, she got to have it, while the older son couldn't even come close to skim over its surface. He got mad, and tried to win the Endacrion after my mother's death. He failed, and the Endacrion, understanding what an evil creature he was, reacted. Defending itself, the gem of the dark killed him. Drake decided to have his revenge against us joining our worst enemies and, few years ago, with a coupe d' ètat, he gained control of the clan, swearing to led them against us."

"Nice story, but how does it help us finding the were-vampires?" Sara leaves Hope with Dani, and goes near the hunters, showing them a transformed Witchblade; she needs some information, and she need right now, at any cost.

"As I told you, the Endacrion knows my family, my blood. It can sense us. If your friend here has a map of the whole damn city, my artifact – she shows them the bracelet changing into a pendent – will show us where they are."

"Tell me you don't believe that your _Endacrion _– Sara says, watching in disbelief Marion's artifact changing into a pendant and run on the map of the city, in search of something – that it will really find the were-vampires' headquarter, right? We're not in a Charmed…. – she has to stop, because, a she is indicating with her index the Endacrion itself, the Witchblade takes life, changing in the same form as the Endacrion did, "embracing" it and running onto the surface of the map.- in a Charmed Episode."

"It seems that the Digitabulum and the Endacrion work pretty well together, what do you think, detective? - With and evil grin, Marion looks at the two pendants, who just stopped in a certain point of the city – it seems that, although we're not in a Charmed episode, it's working pretty well. We've just found were the were-vampires are."

"I'll call few contacts, and see what's exactly there's on the point your Witchblades indicated… it's the only thing a mere human like me can do to help you all."

_The day after, a couple of hours after the dawn_

"We enter together, and we open the coffins…_if they sleep inside them, _we put a post through their hearts or cut their heads. We'll not go separate ways, clear?" In front of the place where the were-vampires are hiding, Marion is with Dani, Stella and Patrick Gleason, watching the exits and covering them, ready to forewarn them in case some "colleagues" show up: after all, the Witchblade is used to get in troubles with the Police, and, not so deep down, Gleason knows that Sara doesn't need more attention from her bosses than she already has; her boss, _their boss, _could no longer cover her…_them._

"I didn't remember putting you in charge, Pezzini. If there's someone who has to give orders here is the one who knows them better, and this one is, if you are forgetting this particular, me." Face to face, the two women are acting like nothing but enemies; instead of joining forces, the two are trying to be both "alpha leader", without paying attention to what happens around them. But at the end, although Gleason starts to think they'll soon fight, they don't, because Sara doesn't reply, and enters first in the old construction, that was once an industry of some kind. Few minutes later, they finally find themselves face to face with a series of coffins, and they do what was told them. At the end, only one remains - the one that is on an altar, with lift candles on its sides. But once opened, they realize how much in troubles they are. "Empty? How it can be?" Dani looks shocked at her "bosses", not knowing what to do… until the "blades" start whispering something in their minds… something about danger. In fact, few seconds later, Dani – who's not used yet to this sort of fight, and her experience with "David" shows it – is against a wall, unconscious; although the Witchblade changed form, in fact, she didn't had the time to use it, since the creature who took her down was a way faster, faster than anything she has ever seen.

"Nice to see you again, cousin" the creature, taller than a bear, with long, reddish naps everywhere, long teeth, drooling on the floor, in search of blood, tells Marion with a voice that seems to come from the afterlife – and a not so nice one.

"Drake…" she says as they stand one in front the other, blocked. She can't believe he was the man she used to know; yes, he was a bit mad (ok, not a bit, she has to admit, thinking better about it, maybe a way mad, after all…) but she reminds him like he was when they first met, few years back; he was a handsome guy, a normal one, and now… now everything about him is gone, leaving place to a monster, a monster who doesn't kill to survive, but just because he enjoys it. She really can't believe it, and so, she remains in shock, standing in front of him. Neither when he attacks her she leaves, it's when he is going to hit her that Sara takes a deep breath and forces her to duck, putting her on the soil with the help of the Witchblade.

"What the hell are you thinking about? What are you, just a bluff?" the brown head says as Drake is again on his feet, after having hit the walls like previously Dani did.

"I thought I could do it, Sara, I thought I was right… but I can't… I look at him, and what I see, is the man he used to be… I'm so sorry…" she says her, crying. Sara is going to tell her something, but both girls are taken by Drake and send against a wall, like Sara did with him a while back.

"after this night, they'll both belong to me…" he says, as he goes closer and closer to the unconscious bodies of the 3 women; but, as he is bending down on them, ready to bite and eat Sara's flesh, something happen: for a second, Sara and Marion open the eyes again, at the same time, and they unite their hands: as their eyes shine, they see what once was, and what it will be again, what it has to be….they see the past, and a key for the future….

_"We'll fuse our powers and our lives in a new artifact, as light and dark did in the past, when they created the digitabulum."_

"_It will be called the Endacrion… the tears of the Gods, because that's what we are for the human. It will save someone, and kill others. It will transmit the knowledge from barrier to barrier, and it will make them our daughters, offspring of the Darkness and the Witchblade." _

_"For now, as the Endacrion is born, we find our final rest after so many centuries of war…"_

_"…And for now and the future, Asteria and her progeny are our champions…"_

In that moment, the Endacrion becomes liquid, and leaves Marion's hand to go on Sara's one, becoming one with the Witchblade, and generating a bright light, a light so bright that it's like the sun one, and leaves Drake, his vampire half, without energies; The artifact than takes the form of a blade, and, without waiting for Sara to take the "decision", like it could act on its own on pure instinct, it cuts his head…

_At the Curator's_

"So, this is how the Endacrion was born…. I didn't think that the emanations of the Angelus and of the Darkness could have free will and join forces to survive… or that they could do such in order to help the Witchblade." Sara is still caressing her bracelet, while Marion is looking at the Endacrion, that has "chosen" the form it used to posses while in her mother's care, and refuses to come back on her wrist, allowing only the curator to touch it, shifting, whenever someone else try to put their hands on the item, like in something living, made of liquid, fighting its way against the "enemy".

"I didn't know it. I know there probably was some sort of relation, but I've never thought that it was so deep… maybe we were meant to meet, and maybe there's a reason I come here in the first place"

"What's going to happen now? After all, you no longer posses the Endacrion…"

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of a fatalist, so, I like to think that The Endacrion had decided to stay here for a reason, and that the curator will know when the time will come for it to come at hand again…"

"Or maybe – the man says, giving them tea – it means that the fate of the Endacrion is the fate of the 13…"

"Do you think that my Endacrion was one of the 13?"

"Oh, no, no my child, but it's like it was. After all, both The Angelus and The Darkness are of the 13, and you used to possess a shard of their power… time will tell what the existence of the Endacrion means for this world."

"But, mostly, it means that a new legend is born, Miss Pezzini, marked by the beginning of an alliance between the wielder of the balance and the Council of the Endacrion. From now on, whenever you'll need help, the Council will be at your side. I'm well aware that part of our history died here today, since it never happened that the Endacrion refused to choose an host – Marcus says her sweetly, looking at how she is playing with her daughter – but I like to look at it as a sign of change…After all, with the Endacrion free, our progenies, my one, Marion's, even yours, will be free to choose their destiny. It's a day to remember, while we wait for the next host to join our forces in the battle between the Angelus and the Darkness…."

_New York, today _

"My sister... she is really alive... and she... she possessed..." Chris looks at the "artifact" on her wrist, astonished.

"The story of your treasure, it's the story of the 13 – of 3 of them in particular, as you saw. It's one of them but, at the same time, it isn't. You posses it, and it will posses you. It was once called "the Endacrion": it means "tears of the Gods" in a lost, ancient language. It was said, that it will be, one day, an instrument of power. You'll use it and it will use you. Will the bearer fail; the world will fall in blood and fire: that's the reason the Endacrion was born, so that the Bearer wasn't alone."

"Yeah, because it's not a big enough stress being an Avenger and an X-Woman...- she pauses, looking again at the thing at her wrist, almost sure that she did see it moving and shifting a bit – So, this... Endacrion... It did..."

"Yes – he answers, knowing what she would like to ask him – it's what the Endacrion does, or, better, part of what it does. It can save few, heal many, kill others." As he says so, her mind wonder to Piotr, to few weeks before, when he was hurt, and suddenly, as she touched him, he healed like nothing happened t all.

"My life wasn't crazy enough, right? - she looks at it, smirking a little, but enjoying it in part.- so, since it's family… can I keep it or…"

"Everyone needs something… and this is just right for you. You'll find it useful. I want you to take it… if it doesn't turn out to be made for you, simply return it. Although – he smirks – he waited for you to be ready for it to be accepted, and has given itself completely to you. Even someone like you has to understand that it has to mean something."

"I guess that I'll have to say thanks, since you returned it to me saving my sorry life. And, well, because you told me of my sister..."

"This is yours for right of blood. It belonged to the hunters, and it is right that a hunter had it today. It belonged to The Blackdragon. It's only fair that The Blackdragon had it."

"Why couldn't my sister keep it? From what I knew, Marion is supposed to be a witch, and had control over this thing. I really don't understand why the Endacrion refuses to come back to her and waited for me…"

"As I said, there are things we are meant to have… our destinies find each of us. Perhaps this is yours, Christine. – He stops her, as she takes her wallet from her purse – not, it's yours, as I told you. It's a gift, it's free… or maybe, I was meant to have it so that you could come in possession of it. "

"But… the vase… - she turns and looks at the pavements, the pieces gone and the vase back in one piece – Never mind… than… thank you… I'd like to continue to talk with you, but I promised my brother to have dinner with him and it's getting kind of late and...- she says as she leaves the shop, her last words, she even doesn't hear what he says later - goodbye"

"You'll thank me when you'll decide that it's in your destiny and that it belongs to you… for now, farewell… because we will meet again."


	45. X Men: Second Coming part 2

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**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream...

______________________________________________________________________A/N-sorry for the delay, but between work, family, festivities and being sick, I had a rather full January. But, at least, you got the issue before the month could actually end, so, everythung is goo, right?

**spoiler alert: Second Coming Story line**

* * *

BALCKDRAGON #42: SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH (PART 2)

_Utopia_

As the group of X-men, the so-called Alpha Team (Logan, X-23, Psylocke, Colossus, Archangel and Blackdragon) leaves the plane alongside Cable; they are "welcomed" by Scott, who's looking at them with a weird expression, while Emma, at his side, in her human form, is crying in silence.

"What happened?" Betsy asks them, knowing too well what happened, and that the question is wrong- she'd ask "Who", instead.

Scott bites the inside of his mouth, in silence, as Logan immediately understands what happened and what they lost, as well does Chris; They know that there are just two names on the list, since Rogue had absorbed Logan and Laura's powers as well – Kurt and Hope, and, as bad as it is, if it'd been Hope, they'd be more… they'd be desperate.

"Kurt…" she whispers, her hands covering her moth, as she says a silent, whispered prayer for one of her oldest friend, one of the few she thought she wasn't going to lose- she hoped not to lose, as she silently starts to cry, as she runs where Scott told them the "body" was.

As she knees at his side, trying to find the strength to caress the smiling and at peace face of the man she called a friend for so long, her tears start to fall on the soil, tear she thought were still inside her eyes, and, for the second time in her life, she isn't afraid of showing them. She hopes the girl is worth it, because Kurt Wagner died believing in her, trusting her; before Chris could realize it, she finds herself surrounded by all the other X-men, standing still on their feet, while, paying attention like never before, Hope gets closer to… to the body, in complete silence, like they were all deaf. But… but she isn't deaf and not even Emma. Chris doesn't know what the White Queen can hear right now, but she feels everyone of them, and everything of them: Logan's rage, the sufferance of every single one of her team-mates, and, mostly, she feels Hope, the way she feels responsible, guilty, as she starts to cry in Nate's arms.

"Can't you bring him back?"Amara, one of the New Mutants, a 21 years old blond called Magma, says, almost whispering, as Hope is released by Nate's embrace, stunned, in disbelief at what they said.

"How could I… why me… why would I be able to… I can't do that… I can't do anything… - she looks again at Kurt, and tears start to run on her cheeks and she runs away, forcing everyone to leave the position they were in – I'm not anybody!"

As Emma forces Scott and Nathan to follow the girl, Chris stops crying, and, taking what she thinks may have been Erik's mantle, puts it on Kurt's body, the red fabric looking at the sky, leaving his face uncovered, like he was only sleeping, while whispering a prayer, even if, unlike Kurt, she is still an Anglican, and not a Catholic.

"There's nothing we can do to heal this. All we can do is bury our friend" As Scott talks, part of Chris would to stand and punch him in the face, to hurt him and to hurt him badly; he keeps telling them this, like they didn't know what's going on, what happened. They are all hurt – she is among the ones maybe who're suffering the most, and he keeps ordering around, acting like… part of her thinks that he isn't giving a damn, but, as he goes on, his voice become lower, and she understand that no matter what, Scott is hurt as well, differently from her, maybe, but he is suffering, probably wondering if the girl is really worth it.

"We should clean the body… and prepare it. I don't know if we'll be able to put together full catholic rites…"

"He used to say that, in time of need, full rites aren't obligatory…- Chris whispers, still on her knees, Scott at her side, close as they've never been in many years they've known each other, as her mind wanders to Genosha, Kurt and Ororo at her side, telling her how she was supposed to "bury" what she thought was left of the man she had given herself to, mere dust and few fragments of bones. – He grown up with… with Amanda Sefton. She used to be in Britain. Maybe I could get a hold on her… and tell her… - Chris pauses again, and, even if she changed subject, her voice is still a whisper – Amanda and I, we've been together in Excalibur. I'll try to contact her."

"If we don't want his death to be in vain, we have to get back to work to shut Bastion Down. – He says putting a hand on her right shoulder, forcing her to regain her composure, as the tears leave space to a resolute look, a look, maybe, of only vengeance – we've to stay sharp. When the time will come, we will bury our friend"

As he leaves, everyone but Warren, who's taking care of Kurt, follows him, ready for another meeting, and, even just walking, Scott comes back in one piece, coming back to his usual cold behavior, like he was not the man who leads a team, but the King.

"Pixie, you'll take Sam and his crew to Limbo. We need Magik back as soon as possible…."

"I really hate doing this…" the poor girl cries, whispering, thinking of having to go back in the place where she lost her soul and her innocence.

"You think I care? Do as I told you – He screams, turning to face the now scared half-pixie – we need Magik back!"

"There's the problem with bastion's Towers… - Ramsey says, taking word without even actually bothering to ask for it – I don't know what and why Bastion is doing it, but he is up to Something, and whatever it is, it has to do with those towers. And even if he really didn't need them, I don't see why we should allow him to build them in the first place."

"Bastion is the most accurate AI the world has ever seen, he is centuries ahead of what we can still only dream about. He'd never do something without a reason. –Chris says, almost talking to herself, while rubbing her sleepy eyes – you should simply blow them up"

"The X-Club will figure out what they are and how to put them down, and then and only then, that what they'll do. – As Nemesis and the other members of the X-Club leaves, Scott turns towards her, who's still looking at the projections, at crossed arms – you can go, but, first, I want you to remember that she is just a girl, even if she isn't. If you want to blame someone for this, blame me"

"Not a problem" she whispers, knowing that he didn't hear her.

"Black, are you still of the idea of working with the Alpha Team? I'm sure…"

"They've always done well without me" she leaves, and, as soon as she is alone in her "room", she collapsed on the bed, in tears, just wishing to tear the damn costume apart, thinking that maybe Alec had been right the whole time – becoming a super-hero was the worst thing she could do in her life; it takes her all her energy, all her strength, to leave the position she is in, in order to take a quick shower and change in a new outfit. When she leaves her room, it's already night, and they are already in procession, Scott, Logan and Piotr with the coffin on their shoulders, the other walking behind it. She thinks to be the last one, but the last one is McCoy, who, once left the Queen Jet of the Avengers, tries to run in direction of Scott, crying but blinded by rage, stopped by a hand on his feline right shoulder.

"Later, Hank – he looks at her, at how she is sorry and destroyed, broken, and he can't help but think that Chris is in part responsible for this, because she knew what was going on and didn't do a thing about it – Just, please, not now. Kurt would have loved knowing you made it on such short notice, just, please…"

"He owns this, mow and forever" he tells her, cold, without looking into her dark eyes.

"He knows, and you'll have time to tell him, but, please, not now" she begs, hands on his furry chest, now clothed with a black uniform, as tears leave her eyes, and Bobby, dressed with a business-like suit take the word, a bible in his hands, low voice, telling everyone that he is sorry, because is Methodist and not Catholic, but as she approaches the coffin with hank, Chris remembers what she previously told Scott, what Kurt himself told her once – in time of need, you do the best you can.

"So much is happening, and I know Kurt would say Thank you for coming, to every single one of you - he goes on, reading about a man, talking with God, how God told him that he'll open the graves of his children, allowing them to rise from them, putting his spirit in their bodies so that they could walk the world again. – Kurt… he made this insanity feel like an adventure." Bobby leaves his spot, and, after him, everyone takes the word, sharing a memory, or simply telling how they felt about their fallen friend; Charles remembers that he was supposed to be the teacher, but, instead, he did learn from Kurt; Hank remembers how Kurt made him feel better about himself; Piotr hopes that it will happen what happened with him, a comeback; Ororo remembers how he could enlighten them all, Warren asks God to give him the peace he gave to his friends in life, Emma remembers that she entered in a chapel just once, and it was Kurt's, Scott says that he was the light of them all.

"He was able to dissipate the darkness we had in us. When we thought we were losing our way, he showed up, making us understand what we were supposed to do, and he did it always with a smile." As she says the words, she smiles a little, biting her lips immediately after just to avoid starting to cry again; AS Logan skims over her arm, she feels blood rushing from his fists, hurt by his own claws.

"Kurt was the only one who looked at me in the eyes like a man, spoke to me like one and treated me like one; no matter what, he never treated me like a damn animal. He was my best friend, and now he is gone, and I can't help wonder why – he turns, shouting at Hope, like he was the animal Kurt never saw, already at the side of X-Force – I swear to God, you better be worth this."

_Lord, why are you doing this to us? _Chris may not be a catholic, but she has always had, somehow, faith in a superior force, a presence hidden, and has always thought that God never asks you more than one could give or do, even when what is asked is extremely big; she has always liked to think about a bigger picture, a great design, hidden to man and manifested only to the higher power. As, after the burial, she leans against the metallic surface of the walls of the outside of a building looking at the placid waves of the Ocean, she wonders if Kurt has been called in "Heaven" because it's where he is needed, if his sacrifice was worth was he died for.

She keeps her eyes closed, inhaling deeply, concentrating, hoping that her telepath will be soon back at full potential, hoping that she'll be soon able to reach the outside world once again, thinking about the thousands of scenarios that could justify all Bastion's actions, but it's hard. Bastion has the benefits of the knowledge – the knowledge of the future, a knowledge coming from the circuits of his body, the body of Nimrod, followed as an Angel by Stryker's followers, and the mind of bastion himself, the most advanced sentinel that will ever be built.

Awakened by her "dream-state", she wonders what has been to bring her back to reality: the noise of the explosions, the smells of fuel, the air-wave generated by sad explosion that hits her and sends her on the soil.

"Shit…. How did I miss this?" She is still on the soil, joined by the 3 who were inside the building she was at (Namor, Laura and Amara), and is looking at wide eyes at the scene in front of her: Pierce, the cyborg, the former man who sold his humanity to obtain the destruction of the mutant race, is leaving the fuming carcass of the last two blackbirds who were left, in an ocean of flame, glorious as he was a God, smiling, proud of himself, grinning, his "skin" gone, destroyed by the same flames he is walking through to face his enemies in what he knows will be his last fight.

"We will take you apart…" as Namor says so, he looks… as Chris looks at him, she is pretty sure that he really is like Logan, and even Amara… the poor young woman, today, has lost one of his best friend, Illyana, who's been trapped by the people Pierce works for in Limbo, has seen another one of her friends, Shan, losing a leg, has lost Sam to the rescue team, and, more or less a week ago, has almost lost her life at the ends of one of her former and now again team-mates, under Selene's orders. No wonder, with everything that happened in the last few days, and everything the poor creature went through in her life, she is turning into some cold soldier.

"So, this is how it ends for me, surrounded by smoke, flames and genetic filth. Too bad I'll miss your funeral…I'm kind of disappointed I won't be here to witness your extinction. But do not do the mistake of thinking that I could regret what I'm scarifying here today. Bastion is coming for you – he laughs, grinning, and shouting – and when he will, when you'll see the light of his future fire raining down on your benighted "race", know that his cleansing light will burn with but a fraction of my profound hate for…"

As she is sitting on the soil, her eyes shine in the red of the lenses she is wearing, and, an instant later, another explosion is heard again, and the flames of the blackbirds are soon reached by the flames of Pierce's body, destroyed by the mechanism of self-destruction detected and activated by her technological powers; when Scott joins them, she stands, and, still and cold, faces him, hands on her hips.

"I'd say that Pointer should be dead by now – as he doesn't answer, she takes the answer as a yes – I hate to be the one to remind you of what I told you about this strategic situation, but we're on an Island that we can't leave because Bastion has neutralized our teleports and our transports, and telepathic transmissions aren't working either… and I bet that soon even the common devices will not work…" she ash just finished to talk, that her darkest prevision come true, and explosions start to hit everywhere at the same time, destabilizing the structure, making them feel like a tsunami was hitting them and hitting them hard.

"Prodigy says that the rig just exploded everywhere at the same time. – Cyclops pauses as he looks at every single member of his unit, and Blackdragon first – Everyone outside… it's an attack!"

"How do we know that for sure?" Emma looks at Scott in disbelief, or maybe, it's just what she wants to believe, what everyone would like to believe; this thing has been about faith right from the beginning, but their faith, is coming to an end right now.

"It's basic strategy, Frost – Chris explains her at words, using her voice and not her mind, like she would normally do – he blinded us, and now he had immobilized us here. Bastion needs us all in the same place when he'll strike, to be sure to kill us all, or, at least, as many of us as possible."

"I see that you are always positive, Stark- the Queen complains. - are you never sick of…"

They run as they run for their lives, and, in a certain sense, it's what they are doing, and their greatest fear come to reality as they see what happened, what the monster did…

"Of being right, you mean? – Chris ends the sentence for her, not even caring if that was what Emma meant, and just looks at the thing, the red mass that's surrounding them, her red sunglasses shining as she analyzes the situation, while Bobby, Betsy and Warren, who has willingly turned into his dark self, try to hit it, focusing on the same spot, as Scott ordered them to, hoping, since they haven't been able to stop it from closing, to, at least, break through it with a cumulative attack – Cyclops, Namor went to give a look undersea, and he hasn't good news… your suspects were right, what we are dealing here with it's not a simple shield, but a sphere"

"Emma, I want you to assemble a team. Everyone who'll be called, we'll move into the city. Peter, what's the situation with the transports?"

"I scared us up a cargo and a Cessna, but I don't understand…"

"Are we missing something, Cyclops?" Santo, one of the younger kids, asks, as facing Scott, Chris and Erik, still in civil clothes.

"A sphere encloses us completely. We can't even swim or dig underwater…" Erik explains.

"And it cuts us and the city off the power, water, sewage and data link. - Chris continues- Soon the city will be prey of the riots… and things, then, will get worse, and we will be the only ones standing between San Francisco and its own destruction." As she says so, she is already walking alongside Scott, who puts on a rocket-rucksack, and, once they are joined by the other "flying" X-Men, Magma, Warren, Namor, Betsy among them, they leave, moving in the air, in direction of the city, and, her body controlled by her kinetic abilities, Chris focuses, checking the one point Namor, just few moments earlier, pointed out.

"I noticed the glow, and went to check it out, since it didn't look like it wasn't from the sun; it just glows, without moving."

"Maybe it's one of Bastion's decoys…" Betsy points out, while flying at Scott's side.

"I bet it's not" he simply says.

"When you're ready for checkmate, you do not indulge in further unnecessary moves that could make your position just riskier. You just strike…" Chris says, and Cyclops ends the sentence for her.

"And you have got to do, is getting your endgame – he pauses, as they gets in front of the glowing mass of silver color, Chris standing in front of it, hands in front of her body, like she could skim over the surface, the lenses again shining as data appears directly in front of her retinas – so, we've got a glowing sphere; no energy emissions apart from the light, and it's fixed in the space it finds itself in… would like to share your ideas?"

_"I think it may be the exact centre of the sphere that contains us, only, for some unknown reasons, it appeared later…"_

"Allow me to disagree, Hank – Chris answers the man through the comm.-link that's, for some unknown miracle, is still working, but God only knows for how long – the quantum readings I'm getting are out of scale. What we are dealing here isn't a sphere, but a portal, still inactive, but, still, a portal."

"Any reading about what we'll find on the other side?"

"Yes – she says – I'm picking sentience beings in their most primitive forms, but no thoughts. We're not dealing with classical linear thought-process; to be more accurate, the thought process is, indeed, linear, but, simply, not linear according to the human standards."

"English, please"

"What I meant, Cyclops, was that…"

"It's opening up!" Even if Betsy is a bit distant at her back, Chris can hear her loud and clear, but it doesn't stop the brown-haired telepath from freezing in shock as metallic arms leave the globe, taking both her and Bobby Drake, who was at her side until a moment before, and, while the entity makes itself manifest in all its glory, talking with her metallic voice, the X-men realize what they are really dealing with… 

ASSIMILATING NEW DATA, PROCESSING, ADJUSTING

"People, we're facing a Nimrod, you have to hit it with everything you've got!"As he gets closer and closer, there's still hope in Scott's voice, a resolute voice, the voice a leader should have, until Logan awakes him, revealing him his mistake…

"Give a better Look, Scotty" As he says so, his claws ready to fight, an army of evil sentinels from the future leaves the sphere, standing in front of them, talking like one at the same time, one mind guiding them all.

_THREAT LEVEL MAXIMUN, REPOSNSE ULTIMATE FORCE._

The first Nimrod throws in the air both Chris and Bobby, on opposite sides, like to avoid them from working together in order to stop it, and next few minutes are hell…

Still hurt by the fall, sure of having few broken bones, Chris clenches her teeth and stands, her balance not even close to good, her psy- daggers in her hands, shining in the same red light of her eyes, eyes full of rage of pain as she hits them, close; the army gets closer and closer, every nimrod unit takes an x-man, and she looks at the scene, she feels the scene in her mind… Scott hits few opponents with optic blasts, Namor flies through them, Magma uses her heat, Betsy her telekinetic abilities, Logan releases on them all the rage he has accumulated in the last days, and it seems to go so well, until… until, Hellion is on the soil, his hands vaporized by a Nimrod, Armor and Bobby's power have been de-activated and are both showing signs of significant burns, Rogue is wounded and falling into the sea, Logan's healing factor doesn't seem to work as rapidly as the machines that keep wounding him… she fights with tears in her eyes, the same yes that are still red, trying to make contact with the machines while defending herself, but as soon as she gets closer, the hand of the machine shifts, taking another form, the form of a blade, that, as she is inches from her opponents, trespasses completely her form.

As blood spills and the Nimrod turns the device into the wounds to kill her while keeping hurting her with the other "hand" in the same way, the last thing she sees is a red blast of energy coming at the back of the Nimrod, that falls on her. As pain fills her mind, she closes again her eyes.

_Utopia, hours later_

"Cypher will go into the future with Cable; the Nimrods all report to a single AI; he can access it, and, once he will have, he'll rewrite the system, taking control of our opponents, shouting down every unit so we can wipe them out simultaneously." Scott is sitting with few other team-members in the briefing room of Utopia, hands crossed under his chin, cold and serious as always in this kind of situations.

"Too bad Ramsey's not immune to bullets" Logan is as cold as Scott, destroyed by the loss of one of his closest friends, by the loss of people who were at his command, and doesn't even bother to look at his "boss" while talking, merely acknowledging his presence.

"Logan's right, that's why I'm sending…"

"Me" Chris walks at high head, serious, a hint of nobility in her behavior as she walks towards the center of the room, where she stops, facing Scott, hands on her hips, just a tank top and short, the bandage on her abdomen still visible.

"You're wounded and are barely alive, Chris, I'd rather prefer having you here since…"

"I didn't activate my kinetic field when we got hit in the car." She says matter of fact, cold, with her best business voice.

"What?" Scott asks her, taken off guard by her statement; he had seen her wounds, and she shouldn't even be there with them, joined in the expression by Hank.

"I was at the centre of the Explosion, that's what I'm saying. I'm saying that I've been wounded so badly, I should be dead by now- she says as she cuts Hank short, removing, while saying so, enraged, the bandage, revealing no wounds left under it –And I should be dead by now for the wounds the Nimrod inferred me. I should be dead by now for the explosion that hit me during the Siege of Asgard, but I'm not. I'm alive because something, or someone, wants me to stay alive. I may not be able to avoid bullets, but I can survive. You can throw whatever you want at me, but I'm not going to die."

"You're going to go back to the globe, and signal us when all hell will break loose. I'll send Cyper in the future with Cable, and I'll send X-Force as well, and you'll stay here" he says as he leaves his spot, looking at the window, hands at his back.

"What's an X-Force?" Ororo merely lift her eyebrows as Scott talks, taking a big breath, ready to explains, but proceeded by Hank.

"Yes, Scott, tell them. Tell them about the team of killers you have assembled the one you have sent to kill Bishop and God knows who else."

"Hank, I'm sure you misunderstood, because we all know what we went through with the Professor, and Scott would never…"

"It's true, Ororo – Scott says coming back to look at them- and we'll have plenty of time to discuss this, if we'll survive, but right now, we have work to do."

"If sending them is your decision…"

"If surviving is your new ability – he says, turning, stopping her who's already leaving the room – then I want you here… I want you here with Hope."

**_San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge_**

Chris is standing in front of the glowing globe with many other team-members, connected, with the cuckoos, her red cybernetic sunglasses on as she looks at the thing getting bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter. Taking one step behind, she bites her lips, and sends the message everyone was waiting for…

_Scott, it's happening right now… _she tells Scott, while she thinks, a part of her at least, that she'd like to be everywhere but there.

As she closes the message, a contingent of Nimrods emerges from the globe, and the only thing she can think of, while the gem on her bracelet shines and a sweet but antic voice whispers into her soul, is that they'll not catch her off guard again.


	46. X Men: Second Coming part 3

_**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream..._

**_spoiler alert: Second Coming Story line_**

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BLACKDRAGON #43: SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH (PART 3)_

"Stay sharp, smart safe and alive, using your own surroundings like a weapon… it'd be smart of this sentinels didn't already knew what they are dealing with, he says – Chris thinks at loud while throwing a telekinetic blast against one of the 5 Nimrods, obtaining only broken walls at a Nimrod that walks out of the ruins like nothing happened - it's easy for him, he's not the one fighting them here!" as she says so, Ororo, up in the sky (or what is lefty of the sky, with the dome segregating them there), throws her lightning against the sentinel, mad because they are running out of humidity as well, making her unable to call the rain, where she'd feel more comfortable fighting, destabilizing the machine.

"Now, let's see what you can do, shall we?- Chris says while she makes contact with the unit through her psy-blade, trying to put at work her mutant ability to connect with machines, kneeling on the remains of the machines that, as soon as she moves out, explodes in millions of pieces – ok, I can't use my power to communicate with the outside, but at least I can still control these damn things…"

_"Woman,_ tell Summers that other 5 units just arrived!_."_

"That's great – she thinks as she delivers the message from the "first" official mutant the world had ever known to her boss, annoyed by how he had labeled as a simple woman, not caring to use her call-name or her given one - there are sending 5 heavy duty models here from the future each 5.0 minutes… why do I feel like the "They are trapped here with me" scenario by Phantomex is getting old and quite idiotic?"

"Wave six is on the run, and seven is approaching soon, Scott!" she cries with voice and mind while the robots leave the tunnel, attacking Colossus and few of the "new mutants" kids, her psy-shield at maximum, but Chris isn't sure it's enough.

_"Hold the bridge, we're coming!"_

_"_They're killing Piotr, Scott, I'm not sure – she says as she throws a blast of kinetic energy to the Nimrod holding her former Excalibur teammate – if we'll survive long enough"

_We are here, Christine, don't be afraid. _

As the voice in her mind says so, Chris looks up in the sky, where the last vehicle of the X-men is flying, with Charles Xavier and his son, David, on board; she doesn't have the time to register this, though, since David leaves the helicopter, and lands at her feet, sending blasts of pure energy against the nimrods, and, one minute later, as the nimrods try to change strategy, he uses another power, and then again, and so on… until the one holding her is distracted enough to leave her an opening, allowing the brown-head to hit it with everything she has, just before she could run to her team-mate, in the soil semi-unconscious.

"We're here, Peter. They X-men got the bridge- she tells him while skimming over his arms, disarticulated in his metallic form, with her left, the same hand where the bracelet like the one of her mother is, - we're here and everything will go well…." Even if Charles and his son David are there with them, Chris isn't naïf enough to believe that it's over now; Legion is putting down as many sentinels as he can, but they keep coming, and even is Logan and Cable could succeed, since the gate opened at least 90 nimrods landed in San Francisco… so, while staying at Piotr's side for few minutes until Scott joins them, she doesn't, for once, shields them, but, instead, prefers to manipulate her telekinetic shield a bit like Sue Storm does.

"Sweet…." She thinks at loud as she looks at two units falling against each other and then on the soil. "Adjusting molecular structure to intangible level" as the two nimrods regain consciousness and strike against her with energy bolts, it's not like she didn't see it coming, simply… she wasn't expecting them to readjust to her power so quickly; as she falls on the ground, she knows she'll probably, eventually, get better, but it still hurts like hell, and besides, she wonders if whatever is bringing her back will bring her back when she'll dead for real, because one thing was being ALMOST dead, but being dead…

"I remembered you being a bit more nasty, Christine" as she opens her eyes, it's not a Nimrod ready to kill her that Chris sees, but Hope's hand, and her small smile. She has been saved. She has just been saved by Hope, by the same girl she was supposed to protect.

"Thanks, Hope – She looks at the girl again, and lifts her eyebrows a little – isn't that Cable's weapon you are holding there?"

"It is a 2-R.T. PURE RIFLE, yes. It was manufactured after the Nimrods had been created, so they probably never saw one of those little Hail Mary before. I bet they can't reconfigure to avoid this on"

As Hope fires, it's like a call to arms, because, in an instant, the battle is back to its full force, all the mutants against all the Nimrods, until…

"Something's wrong with them" She says as she looks at them stopping still, just to fall from the sky, leaving the X-Men to rest in the ruins of a robotic army that was… but the worst happens when Scott approaches Hope.

"Hope, I'm so glad you're safe.." as he says so, trying to take her in his arms, first come the slap, next the gun pointed to his head.

"Don't you dare to use my name ever again?"

"I mourn Nathan too, Hope, I mourn them all. They were my friends…"

"Friends, please, you don't have friends! You have cannon fodder! You sent them to do the job you didn't have the guts to do yourself! You send people to die, and then make speeches about them!"

Suddenly, Chris freezes, and holds her breath. She can't believe what this girl is saying, not because is unthinkable, but because she is standing for herself and her people; few months ago, Chris has done the same, has told Scott almost the exact words, but then, she has took his side again, and now, Hope is remembering her what she thought of that man, and she can't help but wonder if maybe she was right… suddenly, the gate opens up again, but, and both Chris and Emma feel something coming from the other; for the blonde telepath is just a subtle hint of afterthoughts, a wave of minds shining in the dark, while for Chris is a bit different; she feels the minds as well, in the same way Emma does, but she freezes as she feels something else as well; Chris Stark is, in fact, a woman with many talents, able to deal with the mind and the matter as well; she doesn't just feels her team-mates at the other side of the gate, she feels a string of data as well, mixed with thoughts, not even coherent any longer; she feels the "0" and "1" of the binary code, mixed with thoughts and emotions, with fear and love, she feels and listens to zeros and ones mixed with words, corrupted by them. Then, she sees it, and she understands.

In front of them, keeping the gate open to allow X-Force to come back and survive, there's Nathan Summers, the man known as Cable… the man who had saved Hope, raising her as his own… but he is just the shell of the man he used to be. The man she once known, the man she fought few times with is no longer there; in order to make the others survive, he sacrificed himself, giving up his own life….

"He says that only non-organic matter could open the portal – Chris almost whispers, receiving thoughts mixed with the mathematical code, her voice broken, her eyes closed to suppress the tears, already seeing where this will lead – he allowed the techno-organic virus to take him…."

She looks as Hope runs in the arms of her father, while Logan and the rest of the team come back through the portal at his back, all of the somehow hurt; Cipher's unconscious in Logan's arms, Laura's skin is gone, a good part of Warren's wings have been taken away…

And as the girl is almost there, Nathan just smiles at her, and then, in a fire of light, closing his eyes, he welcomes death as he had been ready to do since he was a kid, knowing that fighting the menaces from the future in order to avoid them was everything he had been raised by the clan for… and suddenly, a little girl is crying on the street, on her knees, in front of her father's dust, just the arm that had been replaced by Forge years prior remaining as a memory of the man he used to be.

"Don't you dare to touch me – Hope says tightening her teeth together, feeling the presence of the X-Men leader close to her – don't you dare to put that hand on my shoulder, or I swear to God, you'll lose it."

"Hope, you need to come with us, back to Utopia…"

"I need you to know that this is your fault and your fault only. I need you to know that I hate you – the red head calmly tells him, still looking at what's left of her father, as the mutants, meanwhile, approach her, mourning again a teammate lost to them forever – I need you to know that I…" Hope can't end the sentence, that, without being felt by anybody, bastion strikes. The creature, no longer Bastion, but not even Nimrod, an hybrid of them both, with at his side two creatures, similar, if Chris has to be honest, to a mix between sentinels and an Iron Man, hit the bridge, that collapse in the bay, under their feet, and the only thing they can do, the only thing Chris can do as they are falling in the cold water, is trying to easy the fall, knowing too well that the impact, at this velocity, would be lethal to anyone.

"I'm a soldier, I'm going to survive" Hope whispers as she forces herself back on the land, while the other X-Men are doing the same.

SURVIVAL IS NOT AN OPTION. THE MUTANT RACE DIES TODAY AND IT DIES WITH YOU.

"You… - she says looking in the eyes of the creature, standing still, motionless, angry but calm at the same time – he was all I had, he was my whole life…."

"I can't believe it! There are other nimrods! I thought we took them all down!"

"The big guy… he has Nimrod's programming… and if can sense something left of bastion as well….. Sweet lord, I can't believe it – Chris is no longer answering to Dom, as she stands still on the verge of the falling bridge, looking at the 3 "sentinels" in front of them, her voice a mere whisper, like she was talking with herself – Stryker's people unleashed it when they mixed the two of them together…"

"Hope, let's run! Move, Dammit, go!" Both Logan and Scott cry in fear as they look at her.

"Something's happening… lectures are so weird…. Something's going to happen…"

CREED, LANG, KILL EVERY MUTANT. WE WILL DEAL WITH THE GIRL. TODAY IS THE DAY YOU DIE.

As the machines says so, the whole team of heroes runs in direction of the girl, seeing the "creature" firing a blast of energy towards her, and they are already closing their eyes, thinking it was all for nothing, that the girl is now dead, that they lost so many team-mates for nothing… until… until… until they sees her, standing in the air in front of the machine, absorbing the energy it's firing at her, her body surrounded by energy…

"He detected a new mutant power! – Chris shouts at her team-mates, not sure if she should, seeing what she is seeing – it's beyond omega level!"

As Chris stands still, she keeps looking at open mouth at the scene, not believing what she is seeing. She knows she felt something the first time she had her in her arms, and she knows that the healer said something about what she really was, but never had the chance to explain himself… now, suddenly, as Hope hits "Bastion" with an energy wave, weakening him enough to rip his heart off from his chest, she is scared… she looks at her, reaching him, that has moved the battle up into the sky, she sees the girl surrounded by flames, flames in the form of a giant bird of prey…

"Why are you all standing?"

"What's happening?"

"Scott, what's…?"

They all look at her. She turns, and looks and them in the eyes, and, if the bird wasn't proof enough, they see it; they see the fire in her eyes as well…

"Guess we are finding out where the Cuckoos' fragment of the Phoenix went…"

She hasn't ended her whispered astonished affirmation, that, in the blink of an eye, she has to lift a shield to protect them all; Hope, in fact, releases all her power on the monsters, incinerating them, generating a after-wave so strong that still sends them on the soil… and even destroys in a second the structure that was keeping them inside….And a moment later, she collapses on the soil, holding like for dear life everything that remains of her father… a metallic arm.

_Epilogue-Utopia, 4 days later_

"Hank's leaving - Chris says matter of fact, a bit unsure as she enters inside "Cerebra"; dressed with civil clothes as she often does when not "on duty", plain clothes, she leans against the machinery inside the room, at Summer's left, playing with her bracelet while looking not at her team leader but at the image of the word in front of them, where images of new mutants are supposed to appear – you should go softer on Rogue, she meant well. Hadn't she acted like she did, Hope would end up on the battlefield on her own."

"Nathan's daughter- he says, still looking in front of them. – fight for what it matters, find allies you can trust, and die on your feet"

"I felt that way in Braxton- she admits for the first time to a living soul and it's an admission that lifts a heavy burden from her shoulders, a confession to herself – I felt I was finding the perfect death, and I hated whatever power brought me back. But maybe, at the end, it was worth it… maybe it will be worth it" on her lips appears the hint of a smile, but it's cautious. She knows what they saw, she knows what

**_she_ saw, what Emma and the girls saw, what the telepaths saw… for everybody, Hope is the "voodoo doll" of the mutant race, but they saw something different; after Hope had destroyed bastion, Chris realized that it had been with the eyes of the mind that she had seen the scene, like on the astral plane. Telepaths knew that it was a Phoenix to save them, Scott doesn't seem to, but telling him now it's not up to her, someone else will have to… besides, there's a good chance that, maybe, she had been wrong, right?**

****

"I've asked Hank a lift. – She suddenly says, turning to finally face Scott- it will be a hard, silent travel, but I need time. I need time to think about me and this whole thing; I need time to think about what you made us do. - Chris takes a big breath, and then looks at him again as she realizes Scott is studying her – I keep repeating myself that X-men don't kill, I keep repeating myself that the only reason I got involved in X-Force was because you didn't tell me we were supposed to be killers, to use weapons and bombs and guns and I keep thinking about the day you become our leader, when the professor left, and you said you weren't going to do his same mistakes, to keep secrets like him, but yet here we are, united because we are on the verge of extinction, but divided because of the secrets you kept, and I wonder, was I going to be in your shoes, what would I do?"

"Did you find an answer?" he asks her as they again look at the empty monitor.

"Yes, and, frankly, my answer scared me. It scares me to know that I'd probably do as you did, if it could help to save our people's lives. I don't want to become that kind of person, but, still – she takes again a big breath, and turns again to look at Scott – Still, I'm leaving, and our secret will remain with me. No one will ever know of X-Force. Will the Avengers find out, it will not be from me, that much I want you to know."

As she says so, she leaves the room, bracing herself, ready to catch the lift she had asked Hank to share with her, direction New York, her old home; as she is already on the plane, looking at Utopia from the sky, Chris, suddenly, smiles, in front of the fire on the sand, Hope Summers cries for her lost dad, but smiles remembering him, as the flames seems to take the form of a bird, the next thing she feels is her connection with Cerebra, that shines like she has never done in the last 18 months… shining with five new lights, all over the world- six counting Hope herself.

Chris Stark is a scientist. She knows that, once upon a time, before a woman got mad because of her powers, the "birthrate" of the mutant race was so high that they were going to overtake normal humans in less than a century, she knows that five, or six, new mutants manifestation are statically insignificant in the light of extinction of a species, but smiling, with silent tears in her eyes, she keeps repeating herself the same thing, a new mantra. _Six is better than nothing, everything will eventually come around, and it's what we have to believe in. _That's what Kurt would say. She knows the X-Men are feared and hated, but maybe now things will change, not in a day, not in a year, but maybe, in the long run, they will.

Right now, she doesn't know what she is going to do with her life. She has been asked to keep being an X-Woman, she has been asked to become an Avenger. She has been asked to take her work as member of Stark Enterprises– Now Stark Resilent- back. She has been asked to come back to Britain, too. Right now, she really doesn't know what she'll do with her life, even if she is pretty sure that figuring out why she keeps coming back from the death may be a good start.

Who knows, maybe, one day, she'll come back there as well…

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**Next: who wants to be a (new) avenger?**


	47. New Avengers: Ri assembled

_**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream..._

**_spoiler alert: New Avengers vol. 2  
_**

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**_New York City, Avengers Towers, yesterday_**

"All right, Avengers – Captain Steve Rogers, new top cop of the world, stands, brave and sure, in front of the gathering of heroes, surrounded by people he has knew, few from a while, and few from longer, a hint of a smile on his lips- The President asked me to do everything in my power to make it right. I told him the word needs Avengers….and I want you to be Avengers, all of you- he pauses, looking in face at each one of them, and Chris, standing on her feet, still dressed with her everyday clothes, listens carefully, even if just few days before, before her mutant world turned to ashes, she had already listened to those words. – This is a new day, the war is won and the battle is over and you got to choose. You HAVE to choose to be here. No one is making you, not even me."

"You mean: I want you to move in Avengers Tower and do as WE wish. And I don't care what you are going to say, all that we've been through, me, you, us all, all that we fought for, you tell us to move here and do as you say!" Luke Cage screams at the top of his lugs, facing Steve and Tony, closed fists and red eyes, dark with anger, surrounded by his team-mates. He closes his eyes, takes a big breath and ends the sentence, turning to face said team-mates "I'm pretty sure that we fought for the right thing to go and do exactly what _your brother _wanted us to do"

Chris takes a big breath, pinching the bridge of her nose, and, making a further step in direction of Cage, "faces" him, as much as she could face him looking at her feet. It's not like she is scared of him, she knows the man, has seen how he behave and who he really is, but, there's something that makes her shiver, and not in a good way, every time she looks at him, or has to face him. She knows he still judges her, that she still has to prove herself worthy being one of them to him because of her past in the Initiative, she knows the road is still long but she is determined to walk every step of it.

"Look Cage, I know it may be weird, but Tony here is trying to make amend for his past mistakes…and even if I get both your points, it's just… Steve Rogers, former Captain America, former leader of the Avengers, world's greatest hero, is asking us to make a choice… it's just, like…"

"Symbolic" Jessica Johns ends the sentence for her, her daughter still in her arms.

"All I'm saying, and I'm pretty sure it was what my sis was saying as well, it is that you called for more than a year yourself the Avengers, hiding in Strange's sancta sanctorum or wherever you were… you claimed to be Avengers"

"We fought against You, Stark, and he - Luke shouts again at Tony, pointing at Steve – said we were, so, yes, we WERE the Avengers!"

"Do you still want to call yourself Avengers? - Facing her brother at Luke's side, Chris lifts her eyebrows. She doesn't know how to react, because when Tony smirks like that, it means troubles – if the answer is yes, give me a dollar"

"What does he mean?" He asks her again, even if Chris' quizzical expression just got wider.

"Are you assuming I'd understand everything he does? – she turns to Tony, still quizzical and eyebrows lifted, crossed arms, but a bit cold, like she could smell smoke in the air – Tony, what does it mean?"

"Give me a dollar and I'll tell you - he answers, with that idiotic smile pasted on his face, as she handles the bill to Cage and next to Tony, who, in the samest instant, handles them few papers – congratulations, you just bought the newly renovated Avengers Mansion. Now you can call yourself Avengers for real and save the word"

"You bastard…" She whispers as she looks at the papers in Cage's hands, her eyes still on Tony, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Tony knew you were going to have problems readjusting to this new status quo, so he came out with plan B."

"You damn bastard..."

"I know you all want to be Avengers, and I know you all want it on your own terms, so, go save the world. We'll have a team here, and you'll have your team there, we'll do what we do and you'll do what you'll do, and we'll probably end up teaming up."

"Who do I get?"

"Just say the name, but forget Cap, Thor and Iron Man, 'because you can't have them…"

**_Avengers Mansion, 24 hours later…_**

"We live in Avengers mansion. We now live in Avengers mansion…" Between cars and trucks, Jessica Johns stays, her daughter in her arms, facing the building, astonished, almost lost in a reverie, while everyone around her is busy walking and bringing stuff inside.

"We now OWN Avengers mansion" Luke corrects her, grinning almost like Tony did the day before. But, still, with Jess and Danny they are still staying on the outside, looking at it, with a happy expression.

"I guess he never thought he would say those words out loud…- As Luke is still struggling with emotions and a couch on his shoulders, Jess approaches Christine, who, at their backs, is leaning against the closed door of her black Ferrari, sunglasses on to cover her eyes in the vain hope of masking her emotions, crossed arms, and, with Danielle still in her arms, leans at the same way of the younger brown-head. – You want to stay here and let this moment happen as well? Because, I don't know the guys, but I really need to use the bathroom. Besides, I'm pretty sure you own half of it, since Luke used your dollar."

"It was mine"

"The dollar, you mean? Yeah, I was there, I saw it, Stark"

"I can definitely see a little girl sitting on the first step with… - Chris fully removes the glasses, and looks at the door, worried and uneasy – Oh, Oh."

"You…" Both Jessica and Luke scream in anger at the same time, and, in that instant, Chris is pretty sure she feels the electricity in the air, but, even if the other three takes "battle position", she simply prefers to stay in the backline, because she really doesn't know if she is supposed to interfere, because, if Victoria hand is there, she is pretty sure Steve, and maybe even Tony, may had a saying in that. Of course it would be better if she wasn't pointing a gun at their heads…

"I'm Victoria Hand! I was deputy director of HAMMER! I was SHIELD command, and I have a note for you!"

"Let's start with you putting that gun down; otherwise, we'll knock your head off!"

"Note" she says handling Cage the note

"Gun"

"Note" Cage grunts something, and, under the disbelief of Danny and Jess, reads it, clearly annoyed. Chris doesn't know if smirking or being annoyed. That damn idiot of her brother definitely has something to do with it.

"What about the **gun**?" he asks her, throwing away the now destroyed letter, and even if she hasn't red it, Chris is pretty sure that she may know what the letter was about._ She had good intentions. It wasn't her fault. Give her a second chance._

"I don't have powers and you hate me. You could kill me in the blink of an eye. – like to show her she is right, Cage claps his hands so firmly and strongly that the generated airwave sends the woman against the door, not hurting her but still taking her by surprise and "defeating her" – don't sweat, I'm leaving. Hell, I come here only because Captain America asked me to…" and, following her own instructions, turning on her heels, her high black heels, she leaves, her head low, her eyes focused on the pavement of the road.

"No" Oblivious to the outside, Jess and Luke are "fighting", and the woman is trying to get the upper hand in the argument, and while she is mad beyond reason, Luke's trying his best to stay quiet and allow her to see the light behind his reasons.

"Rogers, the one we are no longer allowed to call Captain America, asked us to let her join us"

_Well, Rogers asked me to wear a costume, so, I'm not sure he is ALWAYS right…_

"No, Luke, no, she pointed a gun at our heads!"

"Not to play the devil's lawyer, but, eh, the man was a psycho, but a genius. And she only helped him to live up to his potential, because he had bold and bash ideas for the world, and was ready to get his hands dirty to save it. Many would say he had been successful"

"Until he invaded Asgard and he no longer was successful!" Jess snaps at her, like she has done earlier with Cage, and again is a ballet of two, oblivious to the world, even if Chris keeps her quite façade.

"I've read the data. If he wasn't in jail by now, she would have had to put him down herself. And, I don't think is only about second chances here. You, we need someone to tell us what's right and what's wrong, we, you need an external prospective, someone from the field, let's say- Chris, obviously extremely glad with herself, smirks, and crossed her arms, like she was explaining the most reasonable thing in the world – besides, if you don't give her a second chance, than, what about that 80% of the world that supported him? Are you telling me that, when they'll need saving, and they'll eventually need it, you'll abandon them to their sick and twisted fate because they used to think of the guy as a hero?"

"C'mon, honey, the girl here has a point…" he smirks at his wife.

"She stays the hell away from me!" she says, almost screaming and slamming the door in their faces, leaving three stunned and speechless people waiting on the outside. "And it's better if Stark stays away from me for a while as well! I am mad with her!"

Few minutes later, when the others are already sitting at the table in the dining room having a nice breakfast, Chris finally joins them. She took her time, not to join them, though; she simply wanted to go through what was once her house once again, skimming over the surface she knows like her own hand, embracing the memories. She has been happy there, once upon a time, her memories of her life there has almost all good memories, and, deep down, the woman known as the Blackdragon knows, is sure that, whatever will happen, whatever it will be of her, as much as her life seems to be out of control recently, all will be fine: she'll build new memories of this place, and they will be all good as well, she just knows it, like she finally found the only place where she belong… or maybe not, she thinks. Of course, she loves Pete, she loves being at his side, being part of the intelligence, but this, being an Avenger… it's a dream coming true, it's a step forward in reaching her true potential, in people recognizing what she can do and who she can be. Besides, it will do great things for her self-esteem.

"So, here you are, finally playing the role of the grown-up… and with a costume, nevertheless…" Clint smirks at her, behaving in the same way he did the first time they met, years and years before, awakening her from her reverie as she joins the team at the table, dressed with her costume, a leather outfit very similar to Emma's one, but black, with less skin on display and with a more complicated cape, adorned by metallic ornaments in middle-age style to go along with her bracelet.

"You don't refuse a gift from the one we are no longer allowed to call Captain America…- Chris retorts to Clint, a hand on his shoulder, while she sits at his side, between her long-time friend and Parker, taking a cup of hot and steamy coffee –And, to quote you, here you are, back being HAWKEYE…"

"Well, we're back being Avengers for real, so, here I am, back being Hawkeye for real. Besides, Kate said that not only she didn't mind, but wanted me to take my name back."

"Too bad, I was starting to enjoy you in that Ronin suite…" she smiles and she can't suppress a laugh as she does such, while she send glares at Cage, who's entertaining Ben Grimm.

"Yeah, the girl has a point, kind of. Yesterday you were Ronin, today you are back being Hawkeye, just like that…" Spidey crosses his arms at her side, and doesn't even to stop eating to point this out, as the amusement on Chris' side just grows bigger and bigger.

"It means I'll have to make a proclamation – he stands, posing in a dramatic way, taking Chris' hand that was on his shoulder just a moment before, acting like he was a middle-age gentleman who was actually going to make a proclamation- from today on, I'll be only Hawkeye. Do you have anything to say…?"

"Actually, yes, I do – Luke says, standing and looking at each one of them, Carol, Peter, Clint, Bobbi, Logan, Danny, Jess, Chris and Ben as well – people, we are the Avengers, we are the New Avengers, and, Ben, I know you got the whole fantastic four thing going on, but we all got history, and when the one who we are no longer allowed to call Captain America told me to pick up a team, your big head popped into my mind!"

"But, he is so busy! He is with the fantastic four already!" Jess tries to reason, stopping to eat like in trance, like she couldn't believe what her husband just said.

"Ehy, I'm with the X-men and two Avengers team and I work solo as well!" Logan says as he drinks a beer, and Chris, in front of him, without the cape, stops to eat and point out, with words and with her fork as well, and the same thing.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like we sign for an exclusive. I'm in the X-Men, kind of, I work solo, I check on Tony every now and then in order to avoid end of the world kind of scenarios and I'm with you. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"How the hell do you two do that?" Bobbi asks them almost scandalized, and Chris is not sure if it's because of the fact that they are actually part of so many things, or because they just talked about it with a total nonchalance.

"Multitasking is our mutant power" the two say at the same time, and, even if for Chris is partially true, she knows it's not Logan's thing- he is just as busy as one can get, and he enjoys too much, mostly, because it's damned true that he is the best that there is at what he does; she is still smiling, when she stops, like in trance, worried, feeling the voice she already has learned to know in her head, the Endacrion whispering something into her soul talking about danger…

"C'mon Jess, I'm not telling him to leave his family, I'm just saying, when he is not there, if he wants to hang out with us, he'll be welcome! - Ben smiles, as a child on Christmas, and Luke offers him his hand, but, suddenly, a red light embraces them all, and in his hand, something appears….- what the hell Just happened? Isn't that Strange's eye of agawhatthehey? Why did it appear in, right in my hands?"

"I think you should pick it up" Bobbi says as they all look at the jewel, now on the soil.

"It belongs to Doctor Voodoo, now" Ben points out with fake nonchalance.

"I'm not going to pick it up! You want to pick it up? You pick it up!"

"I don't understand what the eye is doing here; it doesn't make any sense…" Chris whispers, as another red light embraces them all, as the Endacrion keeps whispering words of fear and danger into her soul, starting to shift, like it was… worried, or even scared… and the feeling just get worst when, suddenly, both Strange, former sorcerer supreme, and Hellstorm, former possible sorcerer supreme, make their presence clear to their audience…

"The eye was looking for me, Luke, because Doctor Voodoo is dead. I think you should hand it over to me, so that we could avenge his death together…"

Small blades appear from the Endacrion and the whispering get louder and louder, but, as well, clearer and clearer, until there's only one thing Chris can do, as she looks at Cage taking the Eye and studying both the "artifact" and its previous owner… _Luke, whatever happens, you don't handle the Eye to them, there's something… weird about them, and I think they could be possessed…_

"Who am I speaking to" he demands, cold and resolute as the team leader he has learned to be in the last year.

"But with the new lord of this dimension, of course..." "Strange" answers, as the eye send rays of light in all the directions, pulsating in Luke's hands, transforming the man in front of his team-mates, turning him into a giant with red eyes, a rabid human no longer in control of his actions… and, as suddenly at this event take place, two things happen: Chris lifts a shield of energy to protect them all, and Logan turns into the charismatic man he can be and all love with their heart.

"Jess, take the baby out of here, Ben, you take the eye and get it out of here… if these demons or whatever they are want it, we don't want them to have it!"

"What? Why me? I haven't even been part of the team for five minutes!" he replies with a grin, like it was just an excuse-which is probably, since if there's something Ben Grimm loves is hitting, especially if they are bad guys. And, just because Luke is "only" possessed, he is not sure he is going to make an exception. After all, how many times in the life could he be able to say that he fought an invulnerable man and live to say it?

"Because, in my experience, if these demonic whatever they are want it, we don't want them to get it" Danny says, first line, already focusing his power

"…and because you're big and made of rocks!" Logan says, completing his team-mate's sentence, his claws already out, ready to fight whoever will dare to oppose him.

_What about Strange and Hellstorm? _Chris telepathically asks them as a thin and invisible telekinetic shield divides Cage and many of the Avengers from the two former allies turned enemies against their will. She is worried, for many reasons. She doesn't know how the Endacrion could react to magic, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to control it, since, according to what the Curator told her, it tends to have a mind of its own, and she knows that the two aren't gullible here, but only innocent brought into the middle of something bigger than any of them…

"I don't care; I just want to save my husband! Someone has to take the baby, bring her upstairs and keep her safe!" as she screams so, already flying, Jessica practically throws her baby to Parker, while following her husband, who, in the meanwhile, after being touched by Grimm, has sent him in Central Park without blinking an eye, with the only result that the Mansion is destroyed once again, and that The Eye ends on the pavement, and, suddenly, in a flash, everybody is trying to get to the artifact: Iron Fist if trying to stop Hellstorm, while Logan is fighting Strange in the best way, but, at the end, Luke is always a giant, with eyes in flames, and, before they could realize it, he has already took possession of it, until…

"Sorry baby, it hurts me more than you!" Jess says as, flying in the air thanks to her super-powers, hits him hard in the jaws, and even if Luke lets it go of the thing, both the sorcerers are already at her side, trying to stop her, even if it's Logan who has it, and, in a rush, they are in front of him, but whatever reluctance Ben had, Logan isn't like him, so he hits them, and hits them hard as he sends the object of their desires in the same way Ben went…

"Chris!" he screams at her, like he usually did when they were both in X-Force, something she'd prefer to not think about. Maybe it' for this reason that she doesn't follow his orders, preferring to stay at his side and sending Carol to do her job, or maybe it's because that, even with all that jazz they went through together, she still has a deep respect for Logan, and, deep down, understands his reasons, why he did what he did-she likes to think Logan's a good man, suffering each time he has to take a life. _Or maybe I'm simply scared that he'll take their lives as well…_

"I know a demonic possession when I see one- he says tabbing them both, as Chris' telekinetic field keeps them in the soil- so, just tell me who you are and what do you want!"

"You clawed them! You killed them! They are bleeding! Are they dead?"

"They are alive" Logan answers Pete, as the young Avenger finds his way back into the room where most of the fight took place.

"They are alive. I just stabbed them a little. They are bleeding but breathing"

"We need a doctor! Wait, you killed him!"

"So, let's get one! What the hell are you waiting…" Logan screams, but before he could end the sentence, Chris is already kneeling close to the two unconscious bodies, eyes closed, the dark gem on her bracelet pulsing with life and energy as she remembers the words spoken to her by the curator in the previous days, and what happened to her after the fall of Asgard and while she was fighting to find the girl called Hope as well._It's called "the Endacrion": it means "tears of the Gods" in a lost, ancient language; it is an instrument of power, it can save few, heal many, kill others... and you'll use it as it will use you. _Part of her is scared, but she takes a big breath as she puts her hands on them, closed eyes, all focused on the here and there, trying to remember how a human body is supposed to work... and as the light embraces them all, that part that comes from her inherited Angelus' powers, Stephen awakes, screaming, while Logan and Pete are looking almost petrified at the scene in front of them, at the secret Chris just revealed them, trying to understand what may be going on in their team-mate's life...

"That was smart, Logan... how did you know that severe physical trauma to the vessel would cease the demonic possession?- Stephen says getting up, looking at his broken shirt, and his blood, where, though, no wounds is present underneath it – and thank you for healing me, bearer"

"You're welcome, and, besides, I think Logan stabbed you just to stop whoever was in there, and not to stop the possession in itself. – She says smiling, sitting close to them, sweats on her forehead, still a bit shaken by what just happened. – Doctor Strange, may I ask you if you are aware of the nature of the events?"

"I'm not sure it matters, not that it's over..."

"Too bad it's not over at all, since whatever possessed you is now in control of Luke Cage's body..."

"I need to heal Hellstorm. We're going to need him..."

"In this case... " saying so, they both knee in front of the redhead man, their hands on him, Strange's one on his forehead, Chris' one on his stomach, their eyes glittering as, like Strange before him, the half-demon awakes, screaming, sweating, pronouncing only a sentence...

"They are trying to pull this dimension apart!"


	48. New Avengers: Ri assembled part 2

_**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream..._

**_spoiler alert: New Avengers vol. 2  
_**

* * *

Blackdragon #45. AVENGERS' REBIRTH- PART TWO

_New York, Central Park_

When the small group of heroes once gathered at Avengers mansion arrive in Central park, all they see is something resembling lighting. The light, though, isn't coming from upside down, but the other way around.

The blood freezes in Chris' veins, as she almost stops where she is, scared. This is magic, and she has never dealt with magic before, and now... now it looks like she is consumed by it. The "tool" the mysterious man known as the Curator gave her is made of magic, both of light and darkness, and now... this.

She remembers Tony's words, once. He told her that magic had its own rules; hence it was just another kind of science, and one they weren't able to understand. If she can't understand it, it's unknown to her, and if it's unknown to her, as much as she hates to admit it, it scares the hell out of her.

They stay still in front of a giant version of Cage, all his team-mates at his side. He is out, maybe in the land of Morpheus, but, still...

"Good to see you join us, Doctor, care to tell to the ones of us who aren't master magicians what's going on?" Miss Marvel says, her hands still releasing energy, while Ben is keeping the still unconscious super-hero on the soil.

"Please, do you know how we could save my husband?" Jess' hands are on Ben's chest, like to prevent him from hurting her mate, her daughter's father. Chris is touched by this, she envies it a little, and, mostly... she is still surprised. She has heard many things about those two, and many of them were on the line of "They used to have wild sex, she got pregnant and so he married her". Looking at them right now, at the despair in the woman's eyes it doesn't look this way.

_Be careful. It's not over yet. _As she hears, she feels the voice in her head, in her very soul, something happens. She feels, with her mutant powers, her psychic abilities, a mind trapped, like a murmur, and then... a glint in the eyes of one of the other Avengers. "Is it possible for whatever we are fighting with that it passed to another host or whatever we are for this whatever we are fighting?"

"He… he just transferred!" Chris wonder if it's possible to be both screaming and whispering at the same time, but the words leaving Strange's mouth, the mouth of a man who's calling all the magic he still possesses, prove her right, prove her it is, indeed, possible.

"It's Iron Fist" Hellstorm states, pointing his trident at the man in question, a man who, as soon as his name is spoken, faces the group of gathered heroes, grinning at them evilly, the eye shining in his hands.

"You'll not pass, creature. The eyes belongs here, the eye will not leave this dimension. So speaks Voodoo, sorcerer supreme of this dimension!" from a light that wasn't there before, after the voice is heard, the man known as Brother Voodoo appears in front of them, among them, his hands shining in magic power. "Release the human and surrender!"

"Yeah, whatever the guy says!" ben says, getting closer and closer to Iron Fist. He knows Danny, he likes him, but, still, the man he is facing it's not the one he cares about, he has to remember it, just in case.

"Hellspawn, you tell your master I said him to stay where he is and mind his own damn business- Hellstorm says, getting closer and closer to Rand, people opening his way to let him pass, to give him access, like he could really know what to do with it - and mostly…."

"Mostly, you tell him we will never allow to Eye to leave this dimension" right now, even Strange is facing the once known as Iron Fist, and, as she stays at his back, Chris feels it yet again. The… whatever the Endacrion is, keeps whispering, warning her….something is going to happen, and neither of them know what it is.

"Well, I don't think so" he says, pausing and grinning, his whole being emitting light. "Just know this. You'll be punished" saying so, it's like he becomes lighting, lighting that comes from the soil up to the sky, and vanishes.

Voodoo stands where he was, speechless, while Hellstorm keeps arguing and screaming, and Ben and Carol has to stop him from hurting the new sorcerer supreme. Strange stays where he is whispering, while Chris is on her knees, trying to understand why the Endacrion is suddenly screaming into her mind out of fear and desperation.

If she didn't know thing were bad before, now she does for sure.

"No, no, no, no…" Strange whispers, scaring them all.

"You bastard!" Daimon screams as he forces himself out of the hold of the two heroes, and take, literally, Voodoo's throat. "do you know what you have done? You are the sorcerer supreme and you let this happen! You gave it to him! I should kill you for letting this happen!"

_Enough! _Chris isn't sure if she is the one thinking this or the Endacrion; she just knows that she is suddenly between them, one arm towards Voodoo, forcing him out of her comfort zone, the other one is stretched toward Hellstorm, the Endacrion turned into a blade pointed at his throat. She is mad, livid, as much as the man in front of her. "I highly doubt that killing Voodoo could help us solve our problems, so, allow me to explain this. Either you help us finding Danny again and you drop it…." She pauses, waiting for him to reply, but he doesn't. the only things he does is keeping eye-contact with the black-dressed heroine. "Or, I'm telling you, _she_ tends to be a little feisty, and doesn't listen to me very well. If you value your existence, you'll not drive her madder than this."

He looks at her in the eyes, both standing still, neither of them moving, like he knows she is not telling him a lie, but isn't willing to show any kind of weakness at all. "You don't understand." He simply says, closing his eyes, shouting out everything and everyone.

"of course we don't understand! Tell us what happened! what's the ye, and where did it go?" Parker screams, taking the half demon for the shoulder and shaking him.

Stephen, Voodoo and Hellstorm all closes their eyes, and are almost in tears. That's when Chris' whole demeanor changes, and she shivers when she feels the fear in the thought of the people around her, all around in the whole City of New York and beyond…. She realizes the enormity of it, even if she can't understand it, not yet.

"Without the eye, we forfeit…2 starts Strange, almost desperate. "without the eye, we forfeit everything"

The skies open up in front of them, and from the tear creatures from only God knows from enters the world…

"You know, I don't know why, but I have the sudden feeling I do not like this." Pete says, turning his head towards the "magic people", as Logan once referred to them as. "because, frankly, I'm not a fan of the sky lighting on fire and opening up, I'm not a fan of demons from hell walking the planet, I'm not a fan of both things happening at once!"

"Ok guys, what do we have?"

"We have a dimension which is torn, Logan, that's what we have" Hellstorm says, looking at the thousands of demons escaping from the passage.

"Yes, we saw it, thank you, but we'd like to know where the tear come from, where is it torn to, and where is Danny!" Both Luke and Jess shout at the same time. Were things different, Chris would like to smile at the display of synchrony.

"Strange, I don't know them. Do you recognize those demons?"

"They're blood-wolves, from the dark dimension"

"They're not Daimon"

"I'm looking right at them, Strange"

"And I'm telling you they're something different"

"And I'm telling you, I'd like to start kicking them before people start getting eaten" Miss Marvel shouts as she is already up in the sky hitting demons. "Spidey, you take the streets, Ben, think about whatever gets in your way!"

"Ok, and what about us? What's the plan, Doc?" Luke asks, but he isn't sure he is heard. They're not paying any kind of attention to him.

"Voodoo, Hellstorm, you need to come with me…"

"No, the battle is here! We have to stay here to fight!" Voodoo shouts at Strange's face.

"I think I may know a guy who could help us…" Chris whispers at their back, not totally sure about what she is doing, and even saying.

"No, we have to stay here, we're suited to fight this battle!"

" Voodoo, we're suited to find a solution, which is bigger than any single battle…"

"I think I may know someone who could help us, I really do…"

"You can't leave, you can't leave us with a horde of demons from hell!"

"I'm coming back"

"Besides, they're not from hell. Hell I can recognize" Daimon pauses. "those ones look much worst."

"I just have to teleport us back to Voodoo's sanctum and…"

"AND I KNOW A GUY HERE WHO COULD HELP US!" Chris screams, just to calm down and compose herself back as she notices that she has finally gained everybody's attention on the matter at hand. "Ehm, you see, there's this guy that gave this thing, he called it the…"

But Strange stops her, smiling of a small and polite smile and offering her his hand. "Show us the way, bearer" he says. She looks ta his hands, and takes them in he own, and closing he eyes, as Strange whispers the words of the spell of teleportation, she focuses on the image of the place where she knows they could find an answer…

_Somewhere in New York City_

"What the hell is this place? We should be at Voodoo's hide-out!" Hellstorm screams, as they find themselves in a small alley in New York, in front of an antique's shop. Moving in silence, Chris lifts her right to knock on the door, where once again the word "closed" in well visible, but stops suddenly, in middle air, when said door opens, revealing an old man, Asiatic, smiling at them.

"Oh, here you are, I was waiting for you, Christine Antoinette" he turns his back to them, smile always in place, and guides them towards an aisle where tons of books are spread all over the place. "I told we were going to see each other again soon, didn't I? even if you did claim otherwise… you should never doubt the words of an old man such as I am, because there's wisdom in age, young lady. Don't you agree with me, you who once was sorcerer supreme?"

"Yeah, sure…" She'd like to stop or to leave but she doesn't. she doesn't even bother to ask him as he knows she wasn't thinking about seeming him again, that the words "when hell will freeze" almost escaped her mouth.

"I think you could be in need of a copy of the tytrek's dimension guide, young man, yes? And maybe…. I think you should look there on the counter. What you are looking for may be here." the man she got to know as the curator gives Voodoo a book, and few others to both Strange and Daimon. Chris stands at crossed arms, her back against the counter, between Strange and the always smiling Curator. She can feel Daimon's eyes focused on her, sending her into flames, and she can't help but turn her gaze towards the young man. She feels shivers when their eyes met, and she wonders why. _Maybe it's because I can't help but find desirable always the wrong kind of men? _she tells herself, as she Curator shifts position and approaches the good doctor.

"I've heard many things of you, Doctor Strange, good things, I assure you. People I care about… they know you, they trust you." the old man says_. _"Tell me, good doctor, have you ever asked yourself the most important question? Have you asked yourself who's strong enough to possess such a powerful sorcerer, yes?"

"I'm not as strong a mystic as I used to be" Strange answers, his head low, his voice sad. It's almost a whisper they barely hear.

"Who's this guy, and who the hell are you?" while the Curator and Strange are talking, Daimon puts a hand on her shoulder, on the arm where the Endacrion took residence weeks before. She shivers, and finds her eyes glues to the boiling hand on her tender naked skin of her shoulder, which is a non-sense, but it still happens, and she doesn't know if being scared of getting mad. "He watches over people, things and secrets, over things that happened and things that will happen." She removes his hand, stopping the contact that upsets her so much, and she doesn't know the real reason. "I do trust him" she says, ending the sentence and coming back to hear what the two other men are saying. For a second, as she spoke the words, her eyes met again Daimon's ones, and gain she felt shivers.

"But the man has a point. You're doctor Strange. you don't get possessed by some d-level demon from some forsaken dimension, and I sure as hell either, I don't get snuck up by troll monkeys, this is a big deal."

"Hellstorm is right, you may not be the sorcerer supreme any longer, but you're still one of the most powerful magicians of this dimension… meaning that whatever or whoever is trying to take over this dimension and taking the Eye for them is a heavy hitter, someone who's using some strong magic to pull some big moves" Chris says, her always beloved holo-screen in front of her-sometimes, she is glad to have this power, especially now. Her life is complicated, is getting messier and messier, but this, this is plain, this is linear, this is helping her to find some order.

"You're all right…" Voodoo whispers, and again Daimon is at his throat, moving like a flash.

"DAMN RIGHT WE ARE RIGHT! THE DIMENSION IS RIPPED, THE EYE OF AGAMOTTO IS GONE AND…!"

Yet again she goes between them, the palm of the hand where the bracelet stands on the man's naked chest, while the Curator keeps looking at the scene, with something like amusing in his eyes. "Hellstorm, I'd rather prefer avoiding having to repeat myself, and I'm sure you recall rather well when I've been that polite to point out to you my partial inability to fully master this artifact…."


	49. New Avengers: Ri assembled part 3

_**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own these charachters - Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, etc etc (guess what? they belong to Marvel and Disney...)Keep in mind that I'm the moral owner of Blackdragon, though. and that no way i'm getting money from this piece of literature... I'd like to, but it's still merely a dream..._

**_spoiler alert: New Avengers vol. 2  
_**

* * *

Blackdragon #46. AVENGERS' REBIRTH- PART THREE

_Yet again she goes between them, the palm of the hand where the bracelet stands on the man's naked chest, while the Curator keeps looking at the scene, with something like amusing in his eyes. "Hellstorm, I'd rather prefer avoiding having to repeat myself, and I'm sure you recall rather well when I've been that polite to point out to you my partial inability to fully master this artifact…." _

They keep eye-contact, while Voodoo whispers his words, his excuses, beg the universe for forgiveness, tears in his eyes. "I know I failed completely as sorcerer supreme… and… they took my brother, they took Iron fist, can you imagine two nobler men to have been felled by my failure?"

Something happens, then, and Chris doesn't know what exactly, but it's like the simple statement did something to him, like hearing of family somehow moved the half-demon. Only then Chris notices that her hand was still on his chest, and like the star on Daimon's chest was burning her skin, she retreats it.

"Strange, who's motivated enough to try a play like this?"

As soon as she hears the silence, Chris turns to watch the good doctor, who's looking at the books the Curator gave him. and when he tells a simple "I don't know", something is triggered inside of her. she is scared, but… because she is unsure. There's something weird about the way he told it, and she wonders if he does know and is scared to admit it, or if he doesn't know it at all.

"This shouldn't be this hard! Between all of us, me, you and Voodoo, we've been studying the mystic arts our whole lives, our _whole entire adult lives! _It's a lot of knowledge, a lot of know-how! why the hell can't we figure out who the hell is doing this and what the hell they want!" Hellstorm screams again in rage, again almost at a man's throat, this time Doctor Strange's. He is almost holding the lapels of the jacket Stephen wears when he finds the Endacrion puncturing his chest, the bracelet emanating from its being a small blade. Daimon's eyes meet Christine's one for an instant, shining like they were made of light or maybe fire.

He may not be scared (maybe just concerned, but not scared, definitely not scared) but she is. She knows the basics of what's going on with her life, but it's just that. She doesn't know why the Endacrion rejected her sister. She doesn't know why "she" waited for her, why the curator decided to trust her to possess it… and mostly, she doesn't know what "she" does and why.

"Its' hard to read with you yelling in my face" Stephen whispers, his head low on the books.

"THAT'S' WHAT I'M SAYING! THE TIME FOR READING WAS EVERY OTHER TIME BUT THIS TIME!"

"Daimon, please, you're not…" As he storms again at Stephen, his right fist hitting a book with such a strength that it breaks the manuscript, Chris finds herself yet again with her hands on his chest to calm him down. The blades emanated from her artifact goes in all the direction, but never hitting him, the artifact itself is whispering thousands of thoughts into her already filled mind, and before she could do nay about it, she finds herself trapped between the body of Hellstorm and Strange.

She wonders if, any with this new "powers", she could do any about him, she could really protect the former sorcerer supreme form the half demon.

"YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT IS! YOU WERE MASTER OF THE DAMN MYSTIC ARTS! JERICHO **_IS_** MASTER OF THE DAMN MYSTIC ARTS! THE EDUCATED GUESSES OF BOTH OF YOU SHOULD BE FANTASTIC AND…"

"Ok, you know what? Yelling isn't going to help, AND you're making her nervous." Chris says, as Jericho and Strange start talking at low voice, and the blades finally decide to do something about Hellstorm, surrounding him with a multitude of spikes. As, clearly angered, he studies both the artifact and the woman holding it, Chris can't help but looking around, noticing that the Curator is yet again vanished like in thin air. Once again, the man did the disappearing act.

She absolutely hates it.

"So...i was thinking about all the threat we faced in the past, both singularly and together… and the rulers of the dark dimensions as well… but here is my thinking…" as Stephen starts to talk, Chris almost smiles. It's kind of funny looking at an half demon, Hellstorm, and seeing him releasing a breath of relief because his prayers have been somehow heard. "We should rule out all of them."

"Because?" he says, lifting his eyebrows quizzically.

"Because, how would ripping this dimension open and letting another one pour out and invade it logically benefit anyone who's trying to create something for themselves here?"

"Yes, but, shouldn't we assume that sometimes who's evil may be illogical? Like, I don't know, maybe whoever is doing this is following some kind of "let's destroy this plane of existence because if I can't have it no one will" plan. Or maybe whoever is doing this has an hidden agenda we're not yet aware of." Chris says still trying to divide Daimon from the actual and former sorcerers supreme. "I know that in theory magic is just another former of science, and as such it has its own rules, but it's the mystical arts about finding creative ways around said rules?"

"Do you realize that even a novice like this woman is seeing this?" Daimon screams, this time the one pointing a finger at her chest. she doesn't like it, she doesn't like the way she blushes or the way she feels. Besides, she doesn't know if being flattered by his words or what else. "I warned you we were being invaded. I've warned you we've weakened this dimension…"

"It's something or someone from somewhere else. It's someone who wants this dimension to be part of their own, or who wants this dimension to collapse. But who would benefit from such a catastrophe?" Stephen enquires, his eyes still fixed on books over books.

"In my line of work, I've noticed that normally when someone is evil, they aren't logical as well, and I have the impression that it's the same in the mystical world?"

"…And who are they that they need the Eye of Agamotto to succeed?"

"THEY ARE ALREADY SUCCEEDING! THEY DO HAVE THE EYE!"

"Yes, Daimon, and who could do that? Someone skillful and trained and powerful. Someone who knows how to take possession of us and knows who we are to even try, we, who are trained to not let happen… it's someone so powerful that they were able to come here and we couldn't feel their presence until they wanted us to."

_And, aren't you all trained to feel the rising of such a powerful treat? _She'd like to ask, but she doesn't. she shouldn't even be here in the first place, this isn't her place to be. the only reason she came was to introduce them to the Curator, hoping he could help them, but he didn't.

"My brother and the one called The Iron Fist have been taken by whoever is doing this. we can just hope they are making it very difficult for whoever is behind this to go any further." Jericho says as he turns something into something resembling a witch pan.

_"If _there's something they can do about it over there. I mean, Danny was possessed, and if they are that powerful here, it has to be at least 10 times worse over there, right?"

"We need to know what's going on. We need to see what's going on out there. Why can't we see what's going on out there?" Daimon screams yet again, and this time the recipient of his anger is the Blackdragon herself.

"This place is somehow… sealed from the outside world, protected. The Curator used to say there's more magic here than everywhere else." She pauses, her hands again against his chest, the Endacrion yet again showing his "colors". She is incredibly active, Chris realizes as she watches with a part of her multitasking brain at the artifact, female in nature, on her arm. She has never done anything remotely like that since they she come into possession of her, and Chris can't help but wonder if the Endacrion loves or hates magic, if it's what happening or simply the people around her right now. Or maybe she was right when she told Daimon the Endacrion doesn't like to be yelled at. "AND yelling isn't going to make things better!"

"I can show you"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU WAITING FOR, THEN?" She'd like to massage her forehead, but there are enough trouble as it is to mind Daimon's (lack of) manners and his stubbornness. She guess it's a bit like with Tony, people never like to listen to her; meanwhile, the only things Jericho says, as a fog embraces them all leaving the pan, are the words of a spell as old as the world itself, a spell in a language she doesn't know, doesn't understand. It's weird, it's strange, because she has access to everything with her computer-like mind, with her mutant abilities, but it's thrilling nevertheless… she hasn't stopped to think than an image appears from the red fog, the battlefield, the Avenger's battlefield, the Avengers battling the demons, and Carol… Carol trying to breach the tear. "Tell me she is not that stupid" Strange, tell me your friend isn't heading right for the dimensional tear…. That…go stopping that idiot!"

Strange murmurs at low voice another spell, this one in English, and as soon as the words are spoken, Chris doesn't any longer feel the presence of his astral self among them. She'd like to know what's going on with him, but the only thing she sees is carol flying up into the sky trying to reach the tear between worlds.

"I guess she shouldn't be doing that?"

"if that idiot ends into the dimension rift, her body will be disintegrated!" as soon as Hellstorm explains it, Chris sees Carol losing consciousness, and falling from the sky, her body taken care of by the former Jewel. She doesn't need to be a genius or a great expert in all things magic to understand that Strange somehow managed to divide Miss Marvel's astral self from her body, so that losing consciousness she'd be unable to reach the rift.

At the same time, the horde seems to stop moving, thins get a bit calmer, but fire still leaves the clouds… and, from one in particular, it's not just fire that fells from the sky, but something, a silhouette that resembles a lot the one of… of a person, the one of… of Iron Fist!

"Strange's going to need his body back as soon as possible!"

"Well, come on, then!" Daimon almost screams, holding in his arms, bridal style, the unconscious body of the former sorcerer supreme. "Get us there!"

"What? Hold on…" she almost begs as Jericho sends a spell of teleportation, but before she could even end the sentence, here she is, yet on the battlefield, where whatever had to land just landed. She trembles, unsure on her own legs, her knees falling her. "I don't feel so well…"

She turns of few thousands of shades of green, and is on the verge of throwing up, but she wills herself not to. Still, she feels a presence at her back, and a voice, rude and uncaring, but somehow… welcome.

"Just take a deep breath. First few teleportations can be upsetting. It will pass, and if you'll survive long enough you'll get used to it." He is almost-almost – polite. Then, in a matter of seconds, here he is again, cold and almost emotionless as he looks in front of them, Strange again in control of his own body. "It seems him… but how is it possible for him to be still alive?"

"Yes, It's me… I made it back, they let me go" Iron Fist says, now almost shining, clad in a white and gold brand new costume. Only when these first few words are said with a small smile does Strange notices what the young man is holding, and runs towards him to see it with his own two eyes. Gripping the younger man for the shoulders, the doctor talks in an hurry, frantically, without taking a single breath. There's fear and preoccupation in his eyes.

"They let you keep the eye? Do you know what they were? Did they communicate with you?"

Danny simply hits his, as strongly as he can, a fist right into the face without any kind of preamble. "You son of a bitch, it's all your fault…. He told me what you did to get _this, _whom you took it from!"

"My…master give it to me, he said I was the chosen one…"

"I KNOW! HE WAS THE ONE TELLING ME THIS!" Danny yells, grabbing Strange for the collar, almost lifting him. 

"But… he's dead, has been dead for years…"

"Well, last hour news, he seemed pretty ok for me. AND he told me that everything that's happening is because the eye doesn't belong here AND that you were already aware of it, and…"

"My master, the ancient one, he lived to be over 500 years old. When he was dying…"

"Who does the eye belong to?"

Instead of answering or going furthermore with his speech, Stephen remains in silence. "So, you claim that the ancient one come to you…"

"Who does the eye belong to?"

"In what form?"

**"Who does the eye belong to?"**

Again, silence, until Strange speaks again. "I need the eye, Danny. Five it to me."

As an answer, Danny seems to smirk under his mask, as he lifts the eye, the golden surface reflecting the sunrays. "I would, but here is the thing: your old mentor, the so called ancient one, he gave me an ultimatum, and told me that the mess we are here today, it's just a taste of what's to come he told me it's all your fault because you stole the Eye from his rightful owner, so, I'm going to ask you again… Who does the eye _really _belong to?"

Strange remains sin silence, his eyes focused on the soil. "This is happening because I failed as a sorcerer supreme… I knew there would be those who would challenge me. I knew there would be those who would challenge Jericho, but… I didn't think it would get that bad. Daimon tried to warn me….

"Well, that's just me, Strange. besides, I certainly didn't think it would get this bad so quickly…"

"I still think you are not telling us the truth. You're hiding something, I know what I've been told, and I want to know your side of the story!"

"Daniel.. hear me out" Stephen starts, his eyes now glued on the eye still in Danny's hands "I know there were things you saw over there, disturbing things, unreal sensations…and I understand your anger and frustration… because what I feel towards myself is 100 times worse…but the problem is….the image of my old master, the ancient one, coming to you, trying to force you to handle the Eye to him… it feels false."

"I know what I saw… and what I was your master telling me you put a series of spells on the Eye to keep the rightful guardian from ever getting their hands on it."

"ehy, since you don't seems to agree on, like, anything, why don't you switch notes?" Parker says, turning his head from one party to the next one.

"hate to break it on you bud, but I doubt the magic boys here will agree on calling break time to discuss who's the good guy here"

"Yes, but we have a living human lie detector!" Parker says, a finger indicating Chris ta her back while, wrongly, his team-mates are looking, wrongly, at Logan. "I mean, her, you know, Blackdragon, the telepath, the one trained in all things spying by world's most powerful mind-reader, Xavier?"

"I don't have secrets to share, not any longer, and on this topic, my mind and my heart are light. If the bearer will read my mind, I'll let her do such."

"I know what I see" Danny replies, as, in the same instant, they both take an hand of the woman, while she closes her eyes to better concentrate, thinking about how much she hates mind-reading. If it was for her, she'd just use her telepathy for communication.

"Ok…listen, since you are powerful mystical beings, and telepathy and mystic arts don't agree too much, you'll have to let me in, and I'll need to keep physical contact while doing this" She says, as she takes a big breath. "Ok, I'll need you to imagine a big door…separating me from your thoughts… and now I need you to open said door… and if you could just avoid thinking about a giant pink door, because they creep the hell out of me, it would be great…"

She says so, as images start to flow from both Strange and Iron fist, using her mind, her soul, her every being as a conduit, going from one to another, a process that lasts just few instants but seems way longer; Danny experiences the years of training endured by Strange, while the former sorcerer supreme sees the short trip made by the avenger.

When it's over, and in over a sec Strange has managed to bring them back into what remains of what was Avengers mansion, Chris massages her forehead, while Danny is looking uncomfortably at the soil, realizing just now that what Strange told them is, indeed, true.

"Well, I think the least I can is apologizing for having punched you…"

Strange continues to talk, now his hand on Danny's right shoulder, s smile on his face, satisfied and content as he could be in such a situation. "Daniel, you've endured a voyage no human being has the capacity to stand. Having you, alive and well at your side, is a testament to your own spirituality and training. I'm saying, apologies accepted" he pauses, turning towards the remaining Avengers. "The image of the Ancient One that appeared before Daniel was incredibly… deceptive for someone who doesn't know the ways our world in the same manners Hellstorm and I both do… the words he spoke were…"

"Illogical" Daimon ends the sentence for him, crossed arms.

"if my master was to return, if he had come back to challenge us for possession of the Eye, no one understands the rituals and the challenges needed to do that more than he. As I bequeathed it to Jericho, he is the one who did the same with me in the first place."

"Exactly"

"I feel that who he is trying to get his hands on this needs the Eye to properly free themselves from wherever they are trapped."

"Or they need this to properly take over our dimension. Or simply annihilate it."

"I feel that he"

"Or they" Daimon interrupts yet again, smirking a little, annoying Strange.

"They may have failed with any other attempts, and now he is tricking you into attacking me to weaken me, to buckle my spirit. He…"

"Or they"

"is trying everything he can to get his hands on this, because he can't do it by himself."

"Yes, but…why? I mean, you said you can't just handle it. the eye has to choose his new owner when the sorcerer supreme decides to give up. He can go somewhere else for protection, but it doesn't work." Chris asks, a bit tentative, looking at the Eye in Strange's hands. "According to the laws of physic and logic, to every action corresponds a reaction. So, I wonder, why doing this if he isn't…."

"or they aren't…" she turns to look, a bit mad, to the half-demon who just spoke.

"Why doing this if they aren't attacking us for gaining access to the eye? And if they want it, but just can't take it… who knows all the tricks to get in possession of it?"

"And mostly, is it worth letting them tear the world apart to get to it?" Carols asks, just to be interrupted by Chris again.

"The problem is, as far as we know, there's no guarantee he'll " she stops, and corrects herself immediately "or they'll let us leave IF they'll get the eye, considering how far they are going"

"I'm more worried about how much do we have before this nutcase unleash the hounds of hell or whatever they are?" Jessica asks, her arms around Luke's neck, trying to feel more… normal, and safer.

"We should make a list, a list of people who, you know, would want this, a list of suspects." Miss Hand says, looking outside the window at hell on heart. She saw a lot while working for Osborn, but sometimes, it still terrifies her.

"It's the eye of Agamotto. Anyone who knows of its existence by definition wants it."

"Maybe it's this Agamotto guy, maybe, you know, it's like that joke, when you say someone wants its fashion statement back, and maybe this guy has decided he wants his eye back, and…" Parker starts to ramble, speaking apparently nonsense, all the eyes focused on him and not in a nice way- wolverine and Bobbi looks at him like they'd whish for him to vanish in thin air or, at least, his mouth could vanish, and when he realizes so, he looks, uncomfortable, from one to the other, wishing to be everywhere but there, wishing he'd received as well the Avengers Priority Call like Clint did. "or maybe not. I mean, I don't even know if there is an actual Agamotto and if the thing is actually his eye… it was, you know, I joke. Because I do tend to do that, joking I mean and I…"

Both Stephen and Daimon exchange a look, a look worthy more than thousands words, a look that says it all, and they both take a big breath, almost defeated, clearly worried, like a bulb juts got turned on in their heads, telling them something they'd not wanted to know in the first place.

They don't need to say a sole word.

"So, then, what are we waiting for? Let' give him his eye back! I mean, he is one of the good guys, right? let's give this Agamotto his eye back and let's stop this madness once and for all!" Jessica is screaming, almost taking Stephen for the lapel of his jacket. This whole thing is upsetting her, because not only she had to get separated from her baby, but she had to look at her husband becoming the host of… well, they don't really know what it was.

"Jessica, if someone hits me, believe me, they're not the good guys…" Ben tells her, taking her for the shoulders, knowing too well he can't help her to relax, but he can at least stop her from hurting Strange, a man who, even if former sorcerer supreme, is no longer in his best shape.

"It's not that easy, Jess, the mystic arts don't work this way… it's not really white and black…." Chris tells her, trying to explain. She doesn't have an enormous knowledge of the magic worlds, and she is still trying to get into contact whit that part of her, or, at least, the legacy her mother left her, but she can try, try to explain what she knows, what she understands. Sometimes, when she looks at the shining bracelet on her arm, she shivers, thinking she is betraying everything she once stood for, everything Tony and his parents, the one who have been her parents for her to begin with, but then, she remembers overhearing Tony once, telling… she thinks it was Steve, even if it's been a long time ago, that magic is just another kind of science, a kind of science he doesn't know yet, but science nevertheless", and it's kind of better. "there isn't really such a thing like dark magic and light magic…"

"there is" Daimon whispers grinning at her back, just to upset her. she wonders why he is doing such a thing, why he keeps doing it, talking to her, trying to talk her off from…her connection with the world of magic. She may be new to all of this, she even told him so, she may be a novice, but she isn't stupid, and when she has to do something… she always does her research on it. and besides, he can't tell her it's not true. He is the living proof of her point, a man born out of the dark, the son of the Evil incarnated, the son of a demon, of a devil, and a man who works for the good fight, a superhero even.

"Everything is a matter of prospective. To make the magic, or the object, an artifact or a spell of light or of dark it's the user. You sue it for a good reason? You are a good guy. You use it to destroy the world or taking over some nation just to rule it on your own? Definitely not good."

"So, this Agamotto, who are we talking about? Good guy or bad guy?" Carol asks, looking from one to the other. Her gaze, in particular, sets on Chris. She thought they were friends, during the time they were hiding, and even before, during the invasion, they got closer, maybe not best friends but… they used to talk, an now, what, this? Chris is, apparently, a creature of magic, and never bothered to tell them, and she is still trying to hide it, she got spotted just because she healed Stephen and Daimon and not because she wanted to get it out with them. She wonders if the others are feeling like she does right now, betrayed. And not only because it's a personal betrayal for Carol, but because… because they were supposed to start anew, this team of heroes. They were supposed to share, to be not only a team, but some kind of, of family, and… and you don't keep things secret from your family.

""It's hard to describe, you see, it's quite the long story, that…" Strange starts, looking almost in the void, a loo prelude to a long story coming, but Daimon stops him, taking over the narration, and Chris has to keep from grinning, because, at least, he doesn't do that just to her… but it's a sensation short lived, because there's something. Once again she feels it, the voice whispering into her mind, into her very being, the Endacrion calling for her, telling her things…

"According to the legends, Agamotto was the first sorcerer supreme. It's one of those stories, where they guy is almost as old as the world itself, transcended the mortal plane and comes back because he has decided he knows better than all of us."

The voice gets louder and louder, she can't avoid listening to it, or maybe to them, she isn't sure, it's… complicated, and hard to describe, the sound, the feel she has into her.

"Yes, but, if it's really him, it would be terrible news because…"

_He is here. They are here. Now. Look at the door, child, and you'll see him, one of them._

"We've got company" she coldly says, turning towards the entrance, and just as she says so and the other look astonished and a bit worried at the entrance of the semi-destroyed mansion, a talking tiger, a being made of pure mystical energy, appears like from nowhere, and as her eyes shine with a dark light, the Endacrion once again takes the shape of a sword, a blade pointing at the creature like Daimon's trident, Danny's fist and Stephen's spells, all ready to open fire on the enemy.

"Demon, reveals your true form!" Stephen screams at him. he isn't surprised when he sees his old master in front of him, the same thing Danny saw before, and he knows it's not true, he doesn't react as the creature hoped because he knows the truth and he come prepared, but, still, seeing how far this mysterious enemy, maybe Agamotto himself, could go to retrieve the Eye…

"Tell me, mortals, do you really want to war with the forces of Agamotto and the hordes of the light dimension?"

"Going to war, really? From where I stay, looks like we're already at war!" as he says so, not just his trident turns into fire, but there's something about Hellstorm… it looks like his whole being is made out fire. Deep down, Chris wonders if what she claimed mere minutes ago is really true, or just a fairytale she tells herself to be…calm, and quite she guesses. Because, otherwise, how can she be sure she isn't one with the forces of dark, since the Endacrion is made half out if?

"Then, surrender, or you'll force me to make you cease to exist. Surrender, and you struggle now, make all of this go away. All you have to do is to give him back what is his, gibe back the eye on your own free will."

"You should now it's not mine to give back. if he is truly who he claims to be, the Mighty Agamotto, he should know it's up to Jericho Drumm giving it back….so, my answer, our answer, is no!" again, Chris is left smirking. There's something…not exactly odd in this situation, but…. It's just, she doesn't know Strange from that long… and, the strong and noble man she is looking at right now, fighting alongside now… it's hard imagining him as the same man who almost lost his mortal soul, almost lost his connection with the magic because he called in help someone he wasn't supposed to, because he usurped his gifts… either that, or he mastered something few people doesn't do in a lifetime: he learned from his mistakes.

She is so lost in her reason she almost misses the warning whispered into her soul. Almost. It's a last minute thing the shield, kinetic and not magic, she summoned to protect herself, and Strange as well, from her team-mates. It's good knowing that the Endacrion seems able to protect her from outside mystic control, between the many things this artifacts seems capable of.

"Once again you failed us, Stephen Strange, because once again you have chosen poorly. You should understand this, the Vishanti are no more. I need my eye, I need my power. This dimension means nothing to me, it means nothing to the power of balance of all that it is. Understand this, in case I haven't made myself clear enough… I will do anything, go as far as I'll need, to take back what's mine!" It's not just one of them talking, but all of them, talking at the same time. Different voices, but one mind. " we are aware you don't know yet that the power of the Vishanti is no more, but you are a mortal. Such matters are far above the level of study you deal in. hand over the eye, Strange, respect me."

The shield is falling, like Stephen's power as well, and Logan's claws are ready to strike, ready to kill not one but two of his team-mates, when, while Chris is already at closed eyes waiting for the end, wondering if that it is for her, she hears screams, and a new presence, someone she already felt once before but that wasn't there a minute before… Voodoo, and before they could process what's going on, Stephen is already giving the eye back to his rightful owner. Or better yet, guardian.

"Ok, buds, tell us what we got to do to bring this home, 'cause I'm really getting angry, and you don't like me when I'm angry…" Logan tells, his claws already out, shining in the dim light of the half-destroyed mansion.

"I know what to, and I'll do it, because we're running out of time." Voodoo pauses, and then, lifting the eye, he speaks the words. "Agamotto, I challenge you…"

**_ACCEPTED _**Says a voice that seems to come from somewhere not related to the mortal plane, which, probably, is true, if the light that engulfs them has any significance.

"He challenged the bad guy? Why did he do that? Can he even do that?"

"You see, Christine…" Stephen tells her, taking in the way she is almost panicking. She doesn't like this whole new "mystical origin" thing she has going on with herself. She preferred her life like it used to be, plain, calm and scientific. With rules and regulations which were always right and specific. "the sorcerer's challenge is a death match, something we try to avoid at all cost…"

"Agamotto didn't reveal himself directly to me because he didn't want to accept the challenge. But now that we summoned him, he has to…"

"…and the sorcerer's challenge is a death match" continues Strange, eyes glued on the soil like he was ashamed of himself, like the fault could fall only upon his shoulders. "it's something it hasn't been done in… centuries, if not millennia"

"So…what happens now?" Carols asks, not confused, but worried, that's for sure. They all have to admit they weren't waiting for this kind of development. They thought things could go back to normal, back to quiet after the storm they went through. Guess again.

"Now I find him, and I fight him…"

"Are you crazy or what? You are out of your mind!" again the Son of Satan is facing the master of mystic arts, shouting with rage and fear and frustration. "Jericho, you are a nice guy, and a nice guy is the kind of person who doesn't do mystical battle with an immortal transcended sorcerer supreme!"

"I have to agree with Daimon, Jericho. Besides, you don't know where Agamotto may be."

"I do, Strange, I do. My brother, with his last breath, contacted me, showed me the way. It's a dimension where we've never been, separated from us, a dimension of light, they say it's the dimension of the Vishanti. Or at least… it was, if it's true that the Vishanti are no more."

"Hold on one sec, I thought that this Vishanti were kind of forces of balance into magic, right? so, If, and I'll underline the if, they are no more…" Chris asks, lost in thought as she keeps listening to the voice of danger into her mind and into her soul, every nerve and every cell of her very being. "it means that the mystic power is… in flux and unstable. AND that should explain everything that's going on here and in the rest of the world, right? all the crazy magical happenings… and if magic is no longer what it used to be, maybe even this Agamotto isn't any longer how he was, maybe he, I don't know, lost contact with… himself? Get lost? Got dark?"

"She may have a point" Daimon has to recognize, lifting his eyebrows at the woman. "But it still remain the fact that, right now, facing Agamotto is the same as go standing in front of a bus."

"Not if you help me."

"But, ohm, isn't this some kind of one-on-one thing?" Spidey can't help but question. He ash to, after all. he may be a scientist in his civilian identity, but magic? He has always being through some issues when it comes to magic.

"Yes, it's true, but it's not so specific. It just says that the fight has to be among one vessel against another." He pauses, not smiling, not satisfied, instead, he is…worried, and sad. Like Stephen, he feels the weight of failure on himself. "the spell of binding shouldn't be against rules."

"There are rules?" it's unclear what Luke is saying, if it's an exclamation or a question, given the ignorance of humanity towards the reality of magic and what it really stands for.

"Magic has rules, and spell-casters and likes of them are bonded to a code. What's good about magic is that you can get creative and find ways around, not like with science." She explains, smiling, quite... happy? No, happy isn't the right word, because she is too worried to be happy. but, she has to admit, she is somehow intrigued.

"HE never followed the rules until now, I don't see why we should do it!"

"Because, Daimon Hellstorm" Stephen says, calmly, quietly, like he was talking with a child "that's how we know who the good guys are."

"The spell of binding will gather of the powers and abilities of our group into one vessel, and that vessel will enter the challenge." Voodoo lifts his hands, ready to cast the spell, buts tops, looking at them, confused, sorry. "This has never been accomplished on the mortal plane. I don't know what repercussions it will have on you, so, if you'll want to be part of this…"

"I'll go" Logan says, stepping in front of the sorcerer supreme. "I'll be the vessel. And I don't want to hear any of this. I'm the only one here who can do what needs to be done. Put yourself in me like your brother was in you, you point, I'll lead, and…"

"It should be me"

"I have to say, suddenly I don't hate that much this idea. It's a smart move, he isn't expecting us to send someone else in. it may be the edge we need to win the battle…"

At Daimon's words, Jericho closes his eyes, and reflects, seriously reflects on Logan's offer. Then… he opens his arms, and looks, serious, dead serious, at them. "Fine. From a circle, Logan has to stay in the middle. You are still in time to walk away."

They do as he says, and he chants a song into an unknown language, a long, lost language, and suddenly… here he is, Logan, with Daimon and Danny's insigne on his chest, his eyes are red as Chris' ones when she uses her telepathy, and so much more, not everything visible to the naked eye. "We put all our powers and knowledge into you. Go, Logan, fight for us, for this world, don't allow Agamotto to win. All we can do is spiritually support him"

And he disappears, and as soon as it happens, here he is, fighting, but not there with them. It's not with the naked eye they are seeing him.

It's with the eyes of the soul, of the mind that they see Logan fighting… the man Chris knows being his father, Raven, Daken, Jean, Kitty, the Hulk, Apocalypse, Sabretooth, Steve Roger in the guise of Captain America and an Oriental woman Chris doesn't recognize, … and every time he is hit, they feel it. their souls are torn apart, and the Endacrion keeps crying, crying, desperate, in pain, begging, begging for mercy, for help, until… unstill, the unexpected happens.

First Daniel then Jericho, the Brothers Voodoo, joins the challenge, the first one revealing himself, the second one abandoning the physical plane and his rule as anchor between Logan and the others.

The Endacrion cries. Logan cries. The people out there in the streets are crying, desperate, out of fear, talking about falling skies, about black and red skies, fire falling upon them… she doesn't understand what's going on, can't. there's too much fear, too much pain, too much cries.

Like in Genosha. Like during the Invasion. And then…

An explosion. Sufferance. Heat. Fear. A crying heart, and one full of hate.

She opens her eyes, and tentatively lifts herself, goes to sit, still unable to sits properly or to stand. The Endacrion cries of a broken balance, of the Vishanti being no more, of the eye being gone, gone like the Sorcerer supreme… and then… it happens again. Luke talks again, again with a voice that isn't his to begin with… and even before he could say a word, he is already trying to strangle Strange, and the already broken place is once again victim to a riot, with Ben fighting the once again possessed Cage.

_ "you are to blame for this, strange. you and your friends, the so-called heroes. My brother died. He died because he failed. He failed because you set him up to. you killed him, you will pay for this, you'll suffer, and that's a promise… you'll pay for what you did to us, to my family!" _And then, everything goes blank, everything come back to quiet, and Luke sits, looking around quizzically, wondering, yes, a bit scared, why the hell Ben is lifting him for his shirt. 

There's nothing more to say, everything has been said and done already. They can only cry for the lost and the fallen, but they don't need to do it in public. They retreat, everyone in what is left of their quarters, and that's what they do, cry, pray and remember, but they do on their own.

There's time to decide on the future. At least, for them.

_Epilogue_

"Nice to know the Endacrion finally found its way in the hand of one of Tanya's progeny again..."

"I'll have to ask Strange to develop some kind of mystical device against the likes of you" Chris is, in just her robe, leaning against the window, looking at Central Park while drinking a cup of hot earl grey tea at closed eyes; she feels the presence at her back, but it's not with her mind or with technology that she sees the intruder; it's the bracelet at her wrist, the "artifact" the Curator called Endacrion to give away the presence of the man- or at least she is quite sure he is a man; she turns, and sees for the first time, face to face, the man she has known as "Marcus" or "the teacher", a man in his forties with short brown hair and blue eyes covered by glasses, dressed a bit like Tony, with a suite, but with no tie, and in a lighter colour; in the vision the Endacrion gave her, she saw him fighting alongside her older sister, Marion, and understood he was part of what the curator and Blade described as only "The Council", a group of individuals with mystical abilities vowed to fight the supernatural forces of evil, and, among them, primarily, vampires...

"As you may already know, months ago Captain Britain killed Dracula. Unfortunately, his followers had been good enough to retrieve his head and his dusts as well, allowing the monster to come back – his stands where he is, crossed arms, cold and professional, as Chris turns to look at him -Last week, the vampire known as Xarus, during the once a century gathering of the world's vampires killed his own father, Dracula"

"The leader of the vampire of the world has been killed, is that such a bad thing?" She asks him without caring too much, without showing sign that she is curious to see where he is going.

"According to Xarus, his father wanted the vampire to live under the weight of ancient myths... from this the decision to take over the incarnation of myth itself, Britain... the boy though his father considered vampires damned, world's little dirty secret, corrupt shadows of humanity. He no longer agreed with his old man, so, instead of giving him good criticism, he took his head, literally. – He pauses, and approaches the woman – Xarus wants to reintroduce vampires to the world; he wants the world to tremble. He'll do everything in his power to let it happen. He'll transform many, leaving the few humans left as slaves or food."

"Dracula, Lucien and Xarus are all the same to me – she says as the Endacrion takes the shape of a blade, shining in the dim light of her bedroom at Avengers Mansion - Vampires are sworn enemies of the House of the Black Dragon... meaning, if they are planning something, I'll be glad to help your people."

"Our people, Lady Christine – he says offering her his hand – your people will be glad to know you decided to join our forces in the battle against our common enemy...and about that, I think I should inform you of a particular regarding Xarus' plan...according to Mr. Brooks, what Xarus is after is the kind of power his father never dared to seize... and he is planning on doing so by eliminating as many of us as he can, and by adding powerful individuals to his ranks.- he adjusts his glasses, and then looks at her, cold, but clearly worried – Xarus and his people are in San Francisco, which, I assume you know what it may mean..."

"You shouldn't get worried about this – she answers him grinning, while the Endacrion comes back to his usual form and shows it to the man, the dark gem glowing in the darkness of an unnatural red- I already have everything that I may need with me... but first…." She leaves her room, and walks into the hall, almost destroyed by the battle against the forces of the light dimensions, and looks at the people who are still gathered there. Her team. The one she trusts. The ones who are supposed to trust her, and if she wants for them to trust her there's only one thing to do before it could be too late, before going into this new battle, a battle they'll be able to help her in.

She lowers her head, closing her eyes, looking into her soul for the right words, then, she looks at them, all in silence waiting for her to say whatever she is gone there to say.

She lifts her arm in front of them, the Endacrion shining in all his silver and black glory, pulsing of its own with life… "It was once called "the Endacrion": it means "tears of the Gods" in a lost, ancient language; it's an instrument of power, that can save few, heal many, kill others. It was said, that it will be, one day, an instrument of power, that the one who will bear it will use it like it will her. Will the bearer fail; the world will fall in blood and fire: that's the reason the Endacrion was born, so that the Bearer wasn't alone, because the story of the Endacrion is the story of the 13 artefacts that rule the world, keeping it in balance from its dawn…"

* * *

Hello everyone, dear reades. it's been quite a while, at least on this page. TWo months, alomost, day more, day less, given or taken. and It's not just about time, whiuch, I'm telling you, I no longer as much as I used to.

Blackdragon lacked of posts because I'm falling out of love with the comic books and the comic world in general, and, honestly, sometimes I really wonder if there's really still something I feel teh need to write about, if Chris will still see her adventures taking place. I don't feel like putting a "complete" to the story, because I think I could come back eventually for her, but right now I think she'll take a bit of a hiatus, at least for a while. not tto long, I hope. and, who knows. maybe in few months time I'll write about the dracula arc on the X-Men and other similar thing, who know...

I do have an idea for the future, though, but I0m not sure Ii'll post under the blackdragon or even in this section. if you follow, or sued to follow, top cow, you'd know what I'm talking about since recent issues of my serie.

so, goodbye, and, I really hope to hear from you soon, but, mostly, to be able to write to you soon again. best luck and love, Lizzie


	50. Blackdragon and Hawkeye: Blindspot

A/N: As I told you months ago, the Blackdragon epopea wasn't over and. and it isn't-also because this is the 50th update!

Recently, I've started to read a bit of comics yet again, and I'm slowly strarting to write again of Chris' adventures. I don't know how long it will be between chapters, but I hope I'll be able to keep up the old schedule of the once a month update. Also, in the last few months, my style changed a bit (and the story ehre ismerely to explore Chris and Clint's relationship as friends, so, no action), so, don't feel shy about comments and criticism, I'm here to hear all of it. All is welcome, with the exceptions of flames. Few chapters have already been planned, and there will probably be a couple of stories taking place outside my usual comfort zone of the "what if Chris was there" kind of storyline- but it will be probably not untill next year, so, bear with me. ...

Disclaimer: Uhm..nope, no way, I don't own them. And I'm even 60 euros poorer as this afternoon, so, don't think I'll own them in the immediate future. if not at all.

**SPILER ALERT: BLINDSPOT**

* * *

**_Avengers Tower, New York_**

"Are you aware that Tony has been trying to get you to talk with him from at least a couple of days? And, seriously, now he has decided to try to bring me in. Which is pretty annoying, because, really, it's not like there's nothing else to do!". She leans against the glass window of the tower, her back against the cold and hard surface, casually talking with hands in her pockets while the man she has known for a long time passes her by, running. Clint Barton, one of the few people she had ever trusted with her secret, at least before reality forced her to go public. One of the few she considers not only a simple acquaintance, but a friend, a real one, a dear one. Maybe, her best friend in her messed-up world.

He stops on his tracks, eyes wide in surprise, and she grins. He doesn't even has to look back to know it. He knows her that well. "And desperate, I'd say. Your dear old brother always stroke me like the proud gajillionaire playboy." He would like to grin as well, but, really, he can't. He knows Christine Stark, has knew her since she was barely a teen, and he has learnt how her mind, and yes, her souls as well, work. He knows she is worried, because he knows what he is doing to her, and for so many reasons... recently, he hasn't been that sure about how he was supposed to behave around her, since the Scarlet Witch fiasco, actually. In England, she had come to see him, and had kissed him, but there was Janet, and then he was dead... and he didn't know what he was supposed to wait from her, what he was supposed to gave her. And then, Wisdom come into the picture. He is not jealous, never has been, not of Chris, at least. He likes her, has always liked her, but not in that way, but... she changed, maybe even too much, and he doesn't know if it's all right, how it has always been supposed to be, or if's simply... not her, just stress or PTSD or what else.

"Oh, I don't know, it's quite good. I mean, it's flattering. And a girl could use the ego, you know?" she smiles, her smile, though, tainted by worry. She takes him at his arm, and slowly they stroll towards the elevator. They are not running, she isn't going to, but she is leading, definitely. He grins, this time, laughing under his teeth. He doesn't know why Wisdom dates her exactly, but he could picture him getting off on her secret authority traits. She doesn't even need her power to get you to do as she wishes, just herself, the little minx. "I've given a look at your last performances" she blushes. She often does, with him. She doesn't know why, but when she is with Clint, every word that leaves her mouth sounds dirty.

"do I have to be flattered or worried? Because, seriously, what are you, a stalker?"

He grins, and she elbows him in the side. The elevators starts to ride, and again her back is against the cold surface. This time, though, her arms are crossed, and she is worried. "You took a blow to the head while you were in Russia. It was in the reports. And Bobbi told me." She lowers her voice. She doesn't know how to behave, what to say. It's always hard, when you are dealing with people breaking ups and divorces, but this time... Bobbi is her team-mate in Luke's team of Avengers, but Clint is her friend. Keeping a balance between the two of them isn't easy, especially since Russia has been their breaking point, the end for them. At least, for now. "In the last 21 outings you've performed with the Avengers since your return, you've been off target by a rage of 0.07% to as much as 3.2% in the 98.75% of your shots."

"Tiger shark's stripes were distracting me" he whispers, quite annoyed, without facing her, crossed arms in front of himself.

"I've run all possible scenarios, and I think I understand what's going on with you. But I'd rather prefer if you could talk with an actual specialist first."

The door opens, and here they are. The medical. Bay. And here he is, Dr. Donald Blake, the one who, just few weeks prior, sentenced her dead. And, probably, this is why she trusts this man she barely knows, just met few times. Because he is terribly honest. Probably, she trusts as much as she trusts the other man in the room – one she respects as well- Steve Rogers, former Captain America, the one who gave her the costume she is wearing in this time of her life, the one who gave her the chance of being an Avenger, and this time for real.

"What, he makes house calls now?" Clint asks, almost angry, turning to face Chris. Even if she is wearing heels, and quite high ones, he is still a lot taller than she is, and part of her should be... scared, felt little, small, but she doesn't. She can't.

"Clint, please, have a seat..."

"You scam my head when I'm not looking, you call in the Avengers Resident MD, and you call in Steve Rogers because you don't trust me to stay in the room, and you dare to ask me to take a seat and play it cool?"

He isn't shouting. His words are a mere whisper between closed teeth. And it's even worse. Now, she does feel little, small, even mean. He turns to watch at Steve and Don, almost exasperated. He has already been through this conversation into the last few days, normally with Tony, and, seriously, sharing it with his sister? He is not ready for that. "Look, I know I'm a hothead, but I've got a hard head as well. You didn't need to put spy-cams on me, you know me, I mean, I'm..."

"You are going blind" she whispers, her voice as low as her eyes. She doesn't even dare to look at him in the eyes. It's bad enough she hasn't faced him first. It's bad enough he hasn't trusted her with this, that he doesn't trust her with this. When, exactly, she asks herself, her heart contracting under the onslaught of mental pain, has her life turned into this, has she lost everything she held dear?

There's nothing to add any longer. At least, on her side. And apparently... on Clint's side as well. He just sits, interlacing his fingers right in front of himself. He doesn't look at them. He doesn't look at the one he claimed, once, to consider one of his best friends.

When he starts to make jokes, she knows it's bad. And that he knows it. "So, what, now Thor punches me with some Norse magic, you zap the hell out of me whatever is turning me blind and then Steve clears me for duty?" he tries to grin, desperately, and Chris doesn't need her powers to see that, behind the facade, one he can't even keep up that good any longer, he is seriously worried. And yes, maybe even desperate. She wonders if he was going to ask for help-her help, even, maybe, and she knows it's not a good thing. She knows Clint, as good as she knows Tony, and if they were willingly to go to her for help, so proud they are... it's bad.

She has been through enough bad things in the last couple of years, enough to last a lifetime. She doesn't want to add this to the list. She knows Clint, and he can be a real moron sometimes, but he doesn't deserve it. Because if he loses his sight... Hawkeye is everything he is, it's his real him, in a certain sense. Without his sight, how can he keep being an archer?

She joins the "Avengers resident MD", and passes her left hand few centimetres above the surface of the metallic table, enabling an holo-screen to appear in 3d, complete with images and data and texts and graphics, images passing quickly, as quickly as her brain, through her retinas, can elaborate the data, until everything stops.

Brain scans. His brain scans. The one they took without his consent, without him knowing. He grimaced, not in pain but with a slight anger.

"the cowl absorbed part of the blow, but not enough" Don Starts, pointing at few images "producing swelling, a swelling that has been building since then, putting pressure on the occipital lobe. Where vision is processed."

"Or, in your case, failing to process" she crosses her arms, looking again at the data, checking them once again, making the calculus again. It's her thing. He needs his eyes. She is a computer. It's just that easy. At least, sometimes.

"Drain it. It's just swelling. I'm not the first one to have it."

"Unfortunately, though, now it's late for mere draining. Any kind of operation at this time would be unwise."

Clint stops to look at Don; instead, he turns to look at Chris. She is still facing the screens, giving him her back, but he knows he'll feel it, he knows she'll feel his need to know, her blatant honesty. Like he knows she probably runs all the scenarios by herself. "Unfortunately, even with the scientific development of the last few years, we're still incapable of fully knowing the map of the brain. We can't know what it will be of you if we touch something we may be not supposed to touch. You could lose your sight, or you could lose mobility, we could compromise long term or short term memory. For all we know, we could even activate meta-human areas of the brain that in normal human haven't developed yet." She pauses, and she turns, meeting his eyes and his lifted eyebrows. She hates when he questions her. It's worse than being questioned by Tony. Probably worse than being questioned by Steve Rogers himself. "Worst case scenario, you die."

"This is worst case scenario, Chris. I'm an archer. It's everything that I am. I need my eyes." He doesn't scream, which is pretty much what scares the hell out of her. He is merely looking at her in the eyes, like a silent plea. She feels like crying. And she hates it, for many reasons. Because Clint isn't just an archer, he is so much more than Hawkeye. She saw it once, through the Endacrion, another world, where he was blind, but still he was a great man. Why can't he see it? Why can't he trust her as he sued to? "Tell me this is fixable"

It's Steve, this time, that gets closer to him, putting an hand on his shoulder, a friend for once and not a boss, a team leader. "they'll run few more tests, and they'll monitor the process, buying time where they can. They'll do everything possible to help you, but..."

"STOP WITH THE PITY AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" He screams, his eyes red, and she actually winches, taking a few steps back, holding her heart. She thought it wasn't good Clint being so calm and casual, she thought he'd better be upset and screaming. Well, looks like she was wrong. A mad Clint it's not something she so used to; it is, actually, something that... upsets her, because it remembers her of someone else. She can't help but think of Tony, screaming at her, against her, when he was drunk, when she was barely a child.

She closes her eyes, and shows him another sets of images, again giving him her back. She isn't going to show him hoe he is affecting her, she can't. This is just not who she is. She doesn't wear a mask any longer, but the mask is still indeed on, 24/7.

"Occipital blindness doesn't affect the corneas. Technically speaking, your eyes are still fine. The problem is in your brain, that's becoming more and more unable to process the data it receives from the eyes. As the swelling grows, your perception will be off. Until now, it has just affected dept and perspective, but with time, other areas will be interested. Next it will be the auditory and the visual inputs to be compromised."

"you'll start see or hear things differently. Stationary objects will seem to move. Your mind may shift to past experience to process the lack of data. And then, the swelling will shut off completely the occipital lobe, leaving you blind."

"In the lab, there's something Tony and I have come up with to help you process currently while we built time, and..."

He closes his eyes, closes his fists. "No" he simply says, cold, unnerved, angry, exhausted.

"But..."

"No. No more science or lobe or tricks talk, okay? Just... let me be. And this stays between us."

"But, Clint..." She tries, again. This time, the plea, the sufferance, it's in her. And this time, it's her shoulder Steve Rogers touches, it's her he stops. It's still weird, having Steve Rogers, all mighty former Captain America being "close" to her. And it freaks her out a little, that he can tell her things without saying a word. And that she understands them.

Ne shakes his head, no, stopping her from proceeding. "Whatever you want, Clint. You know where to find us."

Bracing herself, low head, she comes back to the same elevator she come from. At her back, she can feels a sudden river of emotions-fear included- coming from Clint, and she cringes, a single tear escaping her dark eyes as she hears the sound of glass being broken, shattered in millions of tiny pieces.

/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\

She holds her knees, pieces of metal flying all around the room and blue holo-screens appearing from apparently nowhere, her mind wondering miles away while she sits, uncomfortable, in a lab that's not hers. But it's what she can do have right, the only thing. Avengers mansion hasn't been rebuilt after the attack of Agamotto, or who else for him, and she no longer possess all the facilities she used to be. Even her place, somewhere she has never really considered an home because she hasn't find it yet, is gone, sold to help the creation of Stark Resilent, to found it. The last piece of the inheritance the man she had called father, never dad, left her, them, but, at the same time, something... new, like a phoenix from her ashes.

Phoenix... Jean. Ray. And now, Hope. What will happen? What's going on? Who's that teen-ager, exactly, and why did she develop her powers at her birth- at least for a while? And why the "new" mutants are so different from the ones she has seen until now? What did Wanda exactly did when she erased the X Gene? And what is this girl is doing? The young ones, they are not in control of their abilities, and their powers... sometimes they look like more a plague than a blessing. Why is it happening? Is it Hope? Did they hurt some form of cosmic balance when they saved her?

Oh, God. She hates thinking that maybe Apocalypse was right. That maybe he had been their only chance to survive as a species, maybe she should have...

"Chris? Is that you? Say something! I can't see you!"Clint screams in panic as he enters. She simply clenches her fists and her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, rather annoyed, slamming the door shout with her techno-telepathic abilities. Then, she turns to face him, crossing her arms, and doesn't add a single word. She knows his condition, she knows how it will advance. And she knows he knows. Like she knows it's been a stupid game, and it's not funny. not at all. And, just one look, and he knows as well. "Uhm, nice place. So, this is where the geniuses happen, right?"

"This is where Tony's genius happens, for your information. I'm merely borrowing it while we wait for Damage Control to rebuilt yet again the mansion." She says, annoyed, for many reasons; she is annoyed with him, and is annoyed because she ash to be there to make her work. Thanks God Tony is in Asgard or where else. She couldn't deal with working with her brother. No chance in hell. She is a solo player, when it comes to technology.

He grins, the bustard, a mere whisper away from here (and she blushed, dammit, how the hell can he keep managing to make her blush after so many years?) "What, no secret hide-out, or fancy lab in an even fancier attic somewhere in fifth avenue?"

"I don't have the money. And these are words I don't like saying out loud, and I'm saying them to you. Here we are, with me admitting that I don't have any money left. At all. And I'm broke." She looks at him with that pout, and he can't help but grin again. He'd like to mess her hair, just to prove his point. She is like a baby sister to him. And she is simply adorable. Especially when she is annoyed.

Maybe he is a little bit sorry, and ashamed, for how he reacted with her. Just a little bit.

"Impress me, little miss perfection."

She pouts yet again, annoyed with him. She hates the nickname and he knows it, so, she merely telekinetically throws him the new cowl, Hawkeye style. "the sensors will help you register what's real and what's not. AND I'm so not going to explain how UV, infrared and radar motion detectors will work. See for yourself." She grins as she throws an apple in the air, and he immediately hits it, perfect bull's eye. "I'm working on a new model that will help with all other senses as well. This has been relatively easy, because the tech is developed right from the same one I use to interface myself with technology with my cyber-glasses when there's too much multitasking to do, and speaking of glasses…." She throws again something at him, a small box, rectangular. He opens it, and, inside, there's a pair of sunglasses, similar to the ones she usually wears, orange lenses instead of dark red ones. "for everyday wear. I think they will match everything in your closet. I do know your style pretty well after having had to deal with you for so many years, after all." She grins, amused, sitting on the desk.

"Oh, you give me the best gifts" he grins, removing the cowls and putting on the glasses, seeing Chris in her old Blackdragon costume in the instant he doesn't wear the sensors, shivering, knowing she saw it, is seeing it, but he keeps shout. "Thank you X-Santa. I'm glad my letter finally reached the North Pole of Utopia."

"Be glad I don't read minds for fun, Clint, because if I found out you imagined me clad in one of those kinky Santa Claus-like costumes, blindness would be the last of your problems…"

She bits her tongue. Socially, she has always been pretty awkward, differently from Tony. She isn't as good as he is. She doesn't know when she is supposed to say or to talk. And, his darken sudden mood, tells her she just said the wrong thing. Because Clint thinks everything he is it's in his eyes, while she doesn't.

"Ok, listen, I'll just go now, and… just, doesn't say a word about this with the others, ok?"

He leaves the room, and again Chris holds her knees, bracing herself.

When does her life turned so complicated? When did she lose her best friend?

/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\

He just took off a small group of b-league wonnabe gangsters, thugs that didn't know what to do, and he did it against doctor's orders. Doctor, and Steve, and Chris' orders. But, still, Clint Barton is grinning. He knows he shouldn't be doing this, but what he is supposed to do? Wait for all hell to break loose? Not his style. Tomorrow, he may be blind. He isn't going to waste time sitting at home waiting for it to happen.

_"Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Like, sitting at home?"_ he turns, and he doesn't know exactly why. He know Chris is not there, that it's just her psychic manifestation of the physical plane, but, still... even if it's just in the back of his head, he turns. And he sees her. Her astral form, long reddish hair, untamed, free, falling on her shoulders and her back, way longer than she ever had, but with her trademark black clothes, the shirt and the dress-pants and the high heels. "_Commander Rogers will not be pleased. You are not cleared for active duty."_

"Since when do you care about being cleared? I don't remember you following Doctor Blake's orders last time you almost died." He pauses, looking at her. She is extremely sad. Not disappointed, or maybe.. she is. He isn't exactly trusting her. And she doesn't deserve it. Maybe, it's him she doesn't deserve in her life- she went through enough on her own, his own baggage, she should avoid it. "What are you going to do? Ground me? Take away my car keys for a month? No more money?" again the look. He can sees even in her mental form. Or maybe, he is seeing her because this is her real self, the one she can't shift as much as she wants, her truest form. "Look, I don't fall in line when people come calling. You know me. I have a problem, I take things in my own hands."

_"Are you admitting you are an hypocrite? Because last time I checked, every time I had a problem and took things in my own hands, I remember you coming to me complaining I didn't trust you enough." _She pauses, hands in her pockets. He wonders if she is doing this wherever she is as well. "_Listen, I understand you, I really do. But going into a revenge crusade as mad you are, it's bad enough. And with a worsening condition and with an untested equipments? There's a word for it on the dictionary. It's called suicide, sweetheart."_

"Steve already gave me the "my own worst enemy it's myself, and you could be the best of ourselves but you simply don't want to and don't try as hard as you should" line, so drop it. I can handle pretty much anything all on my own." He grins. "besides, when I asked you to be my little own CSI, don't tell me you didn't know what I was up to? I remember someone telling me, just couple of days ago, that she knew me pretty well."

She crosses her arms, annoyed as hell. She saw this coming, and yet she didn't do anything to prevent it. She already knows she'll be dead worried about him, like she has often been in the past. And she knows it's nobody's fault but her own. "_I analyzed the traces found on your mentor's costume. I got a lead, but I don't know how solid it may be yet. I'd need more time to do further analysis, but I know you, and you'll want the data now and you'll ask me to take care of my own business instead of your own." _

"Good, I'm glad you are not patronizing me. I like it when you are not an hypocrite like Steve or Tony."

_"I found blood- not belonging to your mentor, I mean. A-Positive. Not too uncommon, unfortunately, but I've already put in motion a DNA analysis. According to the wounds, before being tortured he fought back. There was DNA under his fingernails as well, and hair samples. Whoever did this, doesn't look at CSI. Or they want to be found. Which is, I'll tell you, worrying me. Like the fact he was wearing his old costume. It means it could be related to your common past. It could be personal."_

"You are always worried about me, princess, nothing new here. So, anything else? Any solid lead I could use'"

_"I shouldn't be doing this. If Rogers finds out I'm helping you out in this revenge thing, I can kiss bye-bye my Avengers membership..."_

"Yeah, but you have a thing for blue eyes and a sucker for me, so I know you'll just tell me whatever info is going through your mind right now. Preferably avoiding telling the Boss."

"_I found tin chloride and silver on his costume. And a resin. It was used in the 80s in Plexiglas and sand, common to the five borough area."_

"I need you to narrow it down, to know exactly where it came from."

_"I'm doing my best, but Tony's a builder, not a spy like I was, he has priorities which are different from my own. He doesn't have the tools I had in my lab. It will take time. Even if...listen, I'm not telling you to go there, but, you and him, you met in the carnie, right? And all these things... they are commonly present in funhouses"_

"Like the one in Coney Island. Hence, the sand." He grins. He doesn't listen to her, and she doesn't even try to stop him as he rides his bike towards his objective. She'll never learn to keep it shout. Not when it's about Clint, at least. He'll always have a way with her. That it is, if he'll survive.

/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\

_"Chris? Please, tell me these sunglasses of yours have a comm.-link or whatever..." _ Sitting at the desk, surrounded by diagrams and data and all things science, she lifts her eyebrows and check the time. Ten minutes and he is already begging for more help? That's a personal record for Clint. As annoying as he can be, he knows that, if she says something, it's that and nothing else.

"What do you want, Clint? I'm trying to work, here!" feet on the surface of the table, hands crossed at the back of her head, she shifts mentally from panel to panel, looking at the current of info floating right before her eyes. _"Do you have the DNA results for those hair and blood?"_

She lifts again her eyebrows. There's something... odd with Clint, something she isn't sure she likes. He isn't just worried. It's... something else as well. Something more, deeper. And she has a feeling it doesn't concern him going blind.

Here it is, his last stand. Clint is probably dying and it's all because of her, because she can't say no to him, because she can't break his promises to him, she couldn't go to Rogers or Steve or Thor or whom for him and tell them of the mess she just made. And not of her own life, but of the life of someone else. All because he played the best friend card.

God, sometimes she hates him. And to say she used to attracted to him a long time ago... (well, maybe not that long ago...)

"Uhm...no? I'm trying in other databases, but nothing come out until now..."

_"Run them against mine. No time to explain, no time for questions,. Just do it."_

_"after all this time, first thing you do is make a phone call? We need some face time, don't you think?"_

She jumps from her seat. There's another voice- a male as well. And... is he mocking Clint? Or are those threats? She doesn't like it.

It's her fault, she thinks as she shivers, sweating for the fear. She did it. She should have said no. Too bad she couldn't.

And then... here it is, right before her eyes, she look at it, dumbstruck. The results. And she doesn't like them. Because it means she has been right. The perp wanted to be found. And it was personal. Maybe not for Clint's mentor, but for her friend himself.

"There's a 65% match on the DNA. It means you and the perp..." she doesn't end the sentence, because she knows. He just needed a confirmation, because he knows. 65%. It means, same parents. Same parents, it means a brother. And there's only one she knows about... Barney Barton, Clint's older brother. Who's dead, from years, or at least, presumably so. Which is bad enough.

To add injury to the injured, though, he goes off-line, and she falls back, sitting against her own free will on the chair, face hidden by her palms, eyes wide open beneath her fingers. She is panicking. And she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it because she is Chris Stark, mistress of well-arranged plans, hidden agendas and exit strategies. Her exit strategies have exit strategies. She is a spy. And she should know better than this. She knew it was a trap, and yet, she sent her best friend right into it, to face the lion. Bloody idiot. Didn't life taught her anything? She is a spy, for God's sake, she knew, she felt it, and yet...

She shivers, wondering what she should do, what is the better option, what's worst, keeping her words and risking losing him, or breaking a promise and saving his life? What would Clint want? She doesn't know. She doesn't even care that there's a good chance she'll no longer have a part on this time when everything will be said and done. This is not the problem. She doesn't care. And she probably never will. There are bigger things to be worried about.

She hears a ping, the another, then another one, and again and again and again. She turns to look at the monitor, knowing too well what's going on.

The moment his vitals shifts, her inner war is over, and she knows there's just one things she can do. She hopes he'll live to hate her for this.

/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\/°\

"…_You look hot with a scrub…" _As he whispers the words as soon as he comes back to the land of the living beings, Chris would like to hit in the head again and again if she could. He put himself into danger, getting her into troubles as well, and all he can say is that he thinks she looks hot with scrubs?

"Don't push yourself, you are still in critical condition" Don says, forcing yet again Barton in a laying position, but grinning a little. First time he met Christine, was when she was trying to save her brother's mind, and in that occasion… she isn't your average Stark, s much as she claims the opposite, like proven by the fact she can actually blush. Like right now.

"Dr. Blake found traces of Pym particles in your bloodstream. The amount would suggest they are not from casual contact but a residue from your days as Goliath. You should have mentioned this earlier, since evidences seem to suggest you were actually aware of this fact."

"Pissed off because I just embarrassed you? Though you were flattered…"

"…I used nanobots to migrate them inside the swelling, and to invert their polarity. We've reduced the swelling."

"Just enough to operate. It's the only shot we have."

"Didn't you all tell me surgery was a no?..."

"It was, until he decided to take pity on you." Chris blatantly says, indicating with her index a man at her back, Clint's own brother.

"Did you brainwash my brother?" he ask her, lifted eyebrows. To Chris, it sound almost like "I hope you'll not tell me you did indeed brainwash him."

She fumes, blushing even more if it possible. She hates it. She hates the effects he ahs n her, how he can get in her verves. It's rather annoying. And embarrassing.

"His bone-marrow stem cells are a perfect match for your owns. We hope that Dr. Blake's theory will work and avoid furthermore damage."

"Hope?"

"…this sort of transplant is normally used for leukemia, and is still in clinical trial, so, technically, I shouldn't perform it on you and by doing it I'm risking my career, but…"

"…but be glad your friend here is a spy who dates a spy who works with a doctor who's part of the super-hero community and is too nice to say no to something like that."

"Stark got an hold on the raw data." Don says as he injects a white serum into Clint's bloodstream. "We're hoping that Barney's stem cells will mix with your genetic makeup and regenerate the damage done to your occipital lobe"

"…hoping?..." he asks again.

"Yes, hoping, sweetheart. Now, close your eyes, count backwards from ten and make your own luck, or I'll make you fall asleep with my telepathy"

Those are the last words he hears as she, not too gently, but not even with too much force, pushes him back against the bed.

**_Few days later. Avengers tower, rooftop. _**

She sits on the baluster of the balcony, looking at the city, looking at the sky. It's weird, the sky in New York, so much light you can't see the stars. The stars… she has been there, she has saw them, passing right before her eyes. But it was another life. She was different, back then. An X-man, and not an Avenger, an X-Man when it actually meant something.

He arrives at her back, and uncombs her hair before going to seat at her wide, looking at the sky just like her.

"Dr. Blake says your smart-ass mouth is already back" she grins, a little. She has been worried, and not for the operation, not only, at least. She has lost so many people… losing him, one of the few people she truly trusts, she doesn't know if she could actually handle it.

"Yep. I don't even need the cowl any longer." He grins, but looks at her questioningly as she throws ay him, with her own hands, a pair of sunglasses. His ones. The ones she gave him.

"Little gift from your friend here. I'd suggest to hold on to these. You may never know when you'll need to see in pitch black in the future…" she smiles, a little sad, and embraces her knees, turning back to look up into the sky. "So…. Did you get this solo stuff out of you system?"

"Never."

"You know, I don't know why, but I felt you were going to answer me this way…" she grins, keeps looking at the skyline as he sits at her side, almost mimicking his position. "Just… you don't need to do things on your own. Or alone."

"I know, I know, but you know me, I need to make my own luck, take problems in my own hands."

"I know, it's just… I can't trust you if you don't trust me, ok? You are who you are, but I am who I am, and I need a little help from time to time."

"C'mon, you know I trust you, but I am who I am and…"

"And it's ok, but you expected me to take Bobbi's side, which is, let me tell you, complete nonsense. I mean, she may be my team-mate, but you are my friend. You are one of my oldest friends, and, for some unknown reasons, even one of my dearest ones, even if you do seem to forget it every now and then, and…" she stops, and stares at him, quite in shock. Just before she starts laughing, almost like madwoman "…you thought I was jealous? Oh God, I don't know if I should keep laughing or throws up…"

She chooses laughing, an honest to God laughter.

"Ehy, c'mon, give this guy some room! You kissed me, and when I told you to stop, you vanish…"

"… aka move to Genosha in order to keep up my work. And besides, it was just a kiss. And I don't even know why actually tried to kiss you. It was disgusting. It was like kissing my own brother."

"…I started dating Echo and you ended up in Wisdom's bed…"

"…for your personal information, Pete and I were already dating…"

"… and then Bobbi come back and you vanish yet again."

"I didn't vanish! I moved to Britain because Osborn wanted me dead! And I did come back! And joined your own Avengers! Where there was Bobbi as well!"

"Wait. You really didn't have a thing for me?"

"Do I look like an innocent 18 years old girl to you?" he produces from nowhere two bears, non alcoholic, and offers her one, and they drink in comfortable silence, keeping looking at the metropolitan landscape, the urban jungle.

"Are you saying that you had a thing for me when you were 18?"


	51. Blackdragon:farewells and goodbyes

**Dear readers, **if you still are here. This is goodbye, for now. I'm sorry if I kept you in the dark for so long, But I tried to write this chapter for over a year. I tried with every storyline I could think of, but nothing wanted to came out.

Then, I realized something: I couldn't write a new chapter because I didn't want to. I don't feel so "connected" to Blackdragon any longer, like I don't love comics so much right about now. But I left it open, so, maybe, who knows. Never say never, Chris could always came back to play for a short while. Who knows, we'll see.

Until then, farewell.

* * *

_It wasn't fair. _

That was the only thought crossing on a loop Chris Stark's mind, as she looked at the empty coffin of one of her dearest friends.

_Rhodey didn't deserve this_, she kept thinking, staying in the distance, on her own. Once again she had felt the loss of a dearest on her skin, and she didn't know if she could keep handling that. Death and betrayal were becoming a constant of her life, and as much as she had known it when she had signed up to be... _whatever _she was... it was too much, all at the same time.

How much sufferance could she handle, in the blink of an eye? Not much more, that was for sure.

And just few months ago, she had thought that her life was a mess. _Well, guess what? You were wrong. It will never get as messy as right about now. _

Her eyes fell on the people she used to call family, friends, all gathered there to remember Rhody... Tony, who used to hurt her like nobody else did when he was drunk, who gave up years of sobriety when the world was coming to and a the serpent was menacing them all, Clint and Bobby... her friends.

She loved Clint, loved him like a brother, even if, at one point, she had wished there could be more between them, and had always considered Bobbi a friend, and as much as she was missing them, she just couldn't do this. They were in the process of hating each other, in the middle of a messy divorce, but she couldn't take a side. Clint was her friend, but she was on a team with Bobbi, and the Avengers were the best thing that had ever happened to her. She finally felt whole, important, appreciated. Just a couple of words from Captain America and she finally felt whole, years of self-analysis weren't needed any longer.

She just couldn't renounce to this. And she was already in a...peculiar position with her team. She knew that few of them hated her-maybe hate was a big word, but that was the feeling, she was just positive of that- like she knew that few of them pitied her. The only one who was still "normal" (as normal as they could be) around her was Logan. He didn't have an opinion on the matter. He didn't judge. Actually, Wolverine was the only one who was offering her a crying shoulder (not that she needed it, she wasn't that desperate), probably because he knew the feeling too.

She was at odds with her..._people _just because of a stupid, damn mistake. She was a genius acting always like the smartest one in the room, but she wasn't perfect. She could do stupid decisions, too. And apparently, she could take _only _stupid decisions when it was about men.

She shook her head with closed, teary eyes. It wasn't time to think about that. She was here for Rhodey... yet another person dead because of the Stark legacy. How many more friends were they going to lose, without being able to do just something about it? Why being geniuses, being heroes, shake hands with Gods, when a mother had to lose her son because of the so-called good fight? First time around, they had been able to save him, first with the cyborg implants, then with a cloned body.

Now... he was gone for good.

She looked once more at their friends, and the people who had helped them out during the whole Palmer Addley debacle, when she and Suzi Endo had joined forces, using Cerebra -and MGH, but it wasn't like there was any other choice on the matter- to connect themselves with the whole population of the world, and stop the infection from spreading. That was when her eyes fell on _them, _Justine Hammer, grinning behind her teeth, her daughter Sasha, busy texting, and their dear friend, the general. All there to pay their respect, to show off in front of the cameras, when everything they wanted was just laugh at them, satisfied that there's an enemy less.

_Bile _raised in her throat, and she clenched her fists, her eyes turning dark red, as burning fire. She could have killed them, those monsters who hide behind the facade of the Military and the industry, those monsters who claimed to protect the world, but were plotting to take all the heroes down . She could do it. She was one of the most powerful telepaths of the planet, and she had been part of X-Force for a reason.

And for that very reason, she wasn't going to kill them.

She had been part of that team because they needed an heart. She had killed, yes, but it had never been because of revenge. She had done so for protecting her life, the lives of her team-mates and of the child (that Hope who was now almost an adult and was training to become the next host of the Phoenix) and every death was a weight upon her shoulders. And there was no way that she was going to add to that weight. Charles Xavier may have taught her to be a spy, but not a monster or a killer. She still remembered when he had told her that he was proud she was an Avengers and that she had to be a model, show the world that mutants weren't any different. She was going to follow that teaching until the end, whatever it took.

And for that reason, she gave her back to the gathered heroes and left.

* * *

New York city was her home, but Chris was almost positive that it had to do only with the fact that no one saw her. She was a face between faces, and even if she could actually use her power... New York probably had the highest density of heroes of the world.

She smiled of a little, sad smile. The city was as it had used to be before Sin's attack. Science and magic had done so, but science and magic couldn't erase the mistakes and the people who had lost their lives, and when they did, there was always a cost.

She wondered if the Darkness knew that he was playing with fire, using the gathered 14 artifacts to destroy the Universe and then rebuilt it as he saw fit. Maybe The Father was right, and there was a reason she still remembered that small differences between the Universes... maybe the fact that she had been used to be in charge of the Endacrion, a weapon of The Dark, had shielded her from Escatado's actions... not that it really mattered. She wasn't in possession of her artifact any longer, and Escatado wasn't doing anything to put in danger the Balance between dark and light.

She was so lost in her own thought she didn't felt the telltale indication in her brain of someone focused on her until it was like a scream. She looked around, sure that whoever it was had to be already at her back, but there was no one. Except, she was receiving mixing signals. There was the void, and yet there was someone, running at Godspeed... slightly panicking, she started looking around, but eve for her mutant mind, it was too much for her. Too quick, and too many interferences...

They knew her. They were ready for her.

Rays of energy, suddenly appearing like from nowhere, hit her in the back, and she fell on the ground. She tried to get up, but energy kept hitting her, the jolts running through her whole being, shutting down all her powers. It was like she was... overloading. She felt like it could be a fitting term, as her powers had to do with technology as much as with mind.

Had she said that she hated stealth armors?

Self-defense and preservation kicked in, and when another jolt was ready to hit her, Chris was able to raise a kinetic shield around her body, a sphere she hoped was quite invulnerable.

Magic would have been of help in that moment.

She was already grinning half satisfied, the... whoever it was, on the verge of giving up, desperate, when her field was put down by a source she knew too well. Something so strong it could stop herm, because she had asked so, just as a safety in case something would go wrong with her...

Repulsor.

The field was down, but she was still going to fight, wasn't going to go down that easily. Maybe a whole filed wasn't going to do enough, but she could concentrate her psy-energy in a sole, focal point, big enough to annihilate the effect of the repulsor rays.

It _had _to do the trick.

Of course, there still was the problem of the other stealth guy, but she was going with first pleasure first. Aka: she was going to worry about one enemy at time. Or maybe...

She was wondering if she could try to send the girl - the brand new, all evil all over Firebrand- against the other opponent, but she could see people inside the buildings, and on the road. It was too dangerous, not when she was practically going in blind.

She would have loved to be Matt in that instant.

She couldn't even risk shouting down the systems inside the Firebrand suit. She didn't know how that had been made, for all she knew, she could even detonate an atomic bomb.

It was too dangerous.

Unless... people would have called it suicidal, but there was only one thing left to do, in order to defeat the stealth guy.

SHE Turned off completely the shield, and concentrated on Firebrand, projecting a micro-filed of condensed energy just at the repulsor of her suit; she knew she couldn't stop her like that- that best she could hope for was the same result, an equation with a result equals to zero- but in doing so she left an opening for the stealthy armor.

She felt the jolts of energy hitting her back like a wimp, again and again, but she didn't gave up.

She had a general position now.

She generated her daggers, and threw them in the direction of her enemy, hitting her right in the middle of the chest, where the was the main repulsor, and for once she couldn't care any less. Everything exploded, and with one last effort, she made sure that the explosion was only limited and that no one was going to get hurt.

She came back to her senses for a section of second, and she saw no trace of the enemy. but who he saw, she wasn't expecting him to be there. not at all. not after everything that... that had happened. Not after she had refused to keep visiting him, even after he had explained himself to her.

She lost her senses once again, as his warm chest lulled her into sleep, and they vanished, a teleport spell whispered in her reddish hair.

* * *

She hadn't said a word since she had awakened in Strange's lair, she had merely acknowledged _his _presence. She was mad with him for everything, and she was mad with all the people there. She knew what they were doing. they were blaming her, judging her. She had trusted him and he had betrayed them. And now, here he was, out of prison.

She met Clint's gaze for a fraction of second. He seemed... ashamed (he probably thought that she had helped him escaping prison) but Tony and Charles seemed worried, Tony more than the other man... _he... _was that longing in his eyes, fear?

"Looks like you put Detroit Steel out of commission for a while" Tony tried to joke, but then, he remembered where he had been just few hours before, and that his rogue gallery had killed Rhodey. And that his rogue gallery had tried to kill his own sister right now. "Chris... I hate to say some, but I'm not sure it's safe any longer for you. Hammer and Stane are..."

"...not going to get the satisfaction of seeing me walk away, that's for sure." she finished, bottoming her bottom down with precise and quiet movements.

"I fear, Christine, that this may be slightly more difficult that what you assumed until now..." Strange stated, putting an hand on her abdomen, and one on her forehead. "for right now, you have to worry about 3, and not just yourself any longer." he smiled, and immediately understood what he was trying to say.

A pregnancy. And her life had been such a chaos that she hadn't even realized she was late…

She stared in shock in the void, and she couldn't stop seeing Strange's smile. he really thought she was supposed to be happy, that it was a good thing. that a pregnancy right now... that _his _children...

Like sensing her tribulations, Charles reached her, and did the same thing as Stephen, and then, she felt them. Two souls, two grinning and giggling beautiful minds ready to enter the world. She wondered if they were going to be lights. Where they going to take after her, or the father?

All doubts were gone, and she caressed her womb lovingly, crying.

Children. Twins. She had never really thought about being a mother, if not only when Plokta attacked inside the dream corridor, but she wasn't that person any longer. Too much had changed. She wasn't with Pete any longer.

But she couldn't be with _him _as well. Not any longer. Not now. And maybe... never again.

"Hammer will keep hitting until you'll be alive. She knows that you and Pepper are my Achilles' heel." Tony started.

"And it's not just that. Now that my father has learnt of the children, he'll try to take them for his own purposes. And I'll not allow him to do to us what he did to my mother and me and my sister." he said, an hand on her shoulder, and for a fraction of second, she could see the man she knew that deep down he was, the man she had fallen quick and hard for.

"What do you want me to do? Going into hiding? I'm not sure it could work. Not with the kind of forces at play here..."\

"That's why we are all here, Christine. For you and your children to live... you need to die." Charles told her, a bit sad. But she could see on his face that expression she had come to love on his face, that...serenity he irradiated.

Bobby was right,. He was like a father for all of them.

"You want to erase my mind" she told, a bit sadly, but already knowing that was no other choice.

For her family to live, she had to die.

"Strange will cast a spell on you, he'll block any trace of magic you or the children could have on you. This way, my father will not be able to try to use you to ascend.,"

She almost bit her lips. She wondered if he knew that his father couldn't ascend unless the bearer of the Rapture would decide that the Earth belonged to the forces of Dark.

"I'll not erase your mind, I'll give you another life, and when the time will be ready, you'll return to us, as Christine Stark once more. Maybe, with two more mutants...the grandchildren of the atom."

"Right now, our contact inside the SCU is processing a body. She and her boss will soon release to the press that Chris Stark was found death later this morning, due to injuries provoked by an enemy of her brother. Everything will check out. we made sure." Tony kept saying.

"So, that's it? the end?" the sadness was unbearable, for all of them, but she could barely resist crying. as much as she wanted to rise her children... saying goodbye was hard. harder then everything she had ever done in her whole life, harden than any other goodbye. Maybe, because it sounded final.

"No, this is goodbye. And I swear, one day I'll return..." he paused, knowing what she was thinking, that she was wondering if he was going to get them just to use them as his father had done with him. "...to keep you all safe."

Crying, she allowed their lips to meet for a last time, and then, the world went black... and Chris Stark ceased to exit, just to be reborn in the light, with a new present, another past and a future she could choose on her own.

* * *

As soon as she woke up in her cottage in Haven, Maine, Astrid Ravensong run her fingers through her dark curls, and caressed her womb, silently saying good morning to her twins- and her seven months belly. "You know kids, I just had the weirdest dream. I was a super-hero and your father was the son of Satan, a very sweet but strange red-headed guy called Daimon... crazy, isn't it?".

END


End file.
